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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819226">Wounded by Love, Healed by a Rose</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaelaTheWordsmith/pseuds/YaelaTheWordsmith'>YaelaTheWordsmith</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(me? pushing my kai and asahi rep agenda?? no clue what you're talking about), Angst and Feels, Arranged Marriage, Drama &amp; Romance, Fictional Historical Universe, M/M, Masquerade Ball, i know y'all are gonna be screaming KUROO U DONE FUCKED UP but LISTEN GIVE HIM A BREAK, just 2 boys tryna balance the weight of their responsibilities and also find love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:42:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,345</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819226</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaelaTheWordsmith/pseuds/YaelaTheWordsmith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div>
  <p><br/>Kuroo Tetsurou's betrothal to the Sawamura heir was arranged when they were only five years of age, a politically advantageous move for both Karasuno and Nekoma. So when he declares, mere weeks from meeting Sawamura Daichi for the first time, that he will not marry him, the clans of both provinces are shocked and infuriated. Daichi has no particular desire for an arranged marriage, but he knows it to be his duty, and Kuroo's stubborn refusal to even meet him is both hurtful and irksome. He - and the clans - remain determined to go through with it regardless. </p>
  <p>This stalemate remains for nine years until one day, a mere handful of months before the date of the wedding, Tetsurou happens to attend a masquerade ball hosted in the capital - and becomes entirely captivated by a partner whose quiet charm is in no way hindered by his mask. <br/></p>
</div>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azumane Asahi &amp; Sawamura Daichi &amp; Sugawara Koushi, Kai Nobuyuki &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou &amp; Yaku Morisuke, Kai Nobuyuki/Sugawara Koushi, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>107</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Thorn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finnthebunneh/gifts">Finnthebunneh</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p><br/>I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS OMG OKAY<br/>i never thought I would be writing in a style like this but then Finn requested this as a comm and i was like !! the time to use my fancy english knowledge has finally come!!!! thank you so much Finn, i loved writing this, and i'm kinda proud of how it turned out ^.^ </p>
  <p>i owe my whole life to <a href="https://twitter.com/hiiiiiiiiiichu">Nicole</a>  who kindly beta'd for me and did it so so beautifully (reading through twenty three thousand fucking words not ONCE but <em>TWICE</em>, jesus christ) and even threw in a gorgeous banner (<a href="https://twitter.com/writer_yaela/status/1367839128507719686">twitter</a>/<a href="https://yaelathewordsmith.tumblr.com/post/644824175238905856/wounded-by-love-healed-by-a-rose">tumblr</a>) just?? out of the goodness of her heart???? ma'am i lay my heart at ur feet 😭😭😭😭😭</p>
  <p>A couple of quick notes:<br/>1. A general aide and advisor being called Hand was entirely ripped off from Game of Thrones<br/>2. The dates vaguely correspond to the Regency era in Britain, because this was originally supposed to be a Regency AU and I modelled the style of writing off of Regency romances I've read. They don't really matter in the story except as a way to mark the passage of time (though if you're the kind of person who likes to calculate timelines in a story through character ages, Kuroo's birthday is 17th Nov, 1790 and Daichi's is 31 Dec, 1790).<br/>3. This is set in an entirely fictional country - Daichi is not Chinese because he wears hanfu anymore than Kuroo is British because he wears coats and boots. I threw in tatami and (French? Italian?) air-kisses for Daichi's province anyway lol, so yeah. Fictional place, not intended to correspond to anywhere real<br/>4. Images linked in the text are just to help you visualize costumes, feel free to ignore :3</p>
  <p>with that out of the way, please enjoy, kind reader! ❤❤❤<br/></p>
</div>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p>
  <em>October, 1806</em>
</p>
  <p><em>Nekoma countryside</em><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Nobu!”</p>
  <p>The call causes Nobuyuki to check just as he passes the crossroads, and he turns in the saddle to see Morisuke trotting up from the right-hand path. "Good evening, Morisuke,” he smiles, inclining his head in greeting.</p>
  <p>“Evening! I’d a feeling I’d be seeing you.” Morisuke tugs on the reins, and his bay turns obediently to walk next to Nobuyuki’s grey. “Trying to get to Tetsu’s in time for tea?”</p>
  <p>“Not at all, my mother merely wished me to convey some documents to Lord Kuroo. I collect, however, that your object was to do so?”</p>
  <p>“Well, Lord Kuroo does stock the finest tea in the country,” Morisuke grins. “They never can bear to tell me to leave, anyhow.”</p>
  <p>“They generally manage to do so if you bring your brothers.”</p>
  <p>“Hence the reason you don’t see me in their engaging company.”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki can’t help chuckling. “How on earth did you persuade them to stay behind?”</p>
  <p>“Oh, I dragged Naoi-san out of hiding and reminded him of a promise to give us fencing lessons when they were nearby. Once they heard that, there was no saving him.”</p>
  <p>“Poor Naoi-san. I do hope you will compensate him suitably.”</p>
  <p>“No such thing, he truly did owe us a lesson.” Morisuke gathers up the reins, nudging his bay to a faster pace. “We shan’t make it in time if we don’t hurry, Nobu.”</p>
  <p>“A canter, then,” Nobuyuki allows. “It’s a nice day, and I’d like to enjoy the ride.”</p>
  <p>It is, indeed, a nice day. A brisk, cool wind keeps a thin veil of grey clouds scurrying restlessly, affording them the occasional glimpse of clear blue sky and allowing errant rays of slowly dimming sunshine to play across nodding wildflowers. The two of them canter easily down the dirt road, their horses as sure of the way as they, for the path from their estates to the Kuroos’ is one they have traversed with regularity almost since the day they were born. Encouraged to study, ride, and fight in each other’s company as they grew up together, Kai Nobuyuki, Yaku Morisuke, and Kuroo Tetsurou formed a bond more closely resembling that of brothers than of friends - that is to say, a bond fostered and matured by many childish brawls, innumerable afternoons of tree-climbing and river-swimming, and quite a few heedless scrapes that they never divulged to their parents. The ultimate and inevitable result was the blossoming of a trust that was as natural and easy as breathing, as deep and enduring as the ocean.</p>
  <p>Thus, when Nobuyuki and Morisuke arrive at the Kuroo manor to catch sight of Tetsurou emerging from a side gate and galloping furiously towards the west fields, they do not exchange more than a glance before setting off in pursuit. Tetsurou’s mare is a fine horse, acquired only a month ago, but she is as yet unused to the meandering and often uneven ground that is common this close to the coast, and they’re able to reach within hailing distance without much trouble.</p>
  <p>“Tetsu!” Morisuke shouts, loud even over the thunder of their horses’ hooves. “Hey!”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou’s head jerks halfway around for a split second, and for a moment Nobuyuki thinks he might ignore them in favour of continuing onward; but then he reins his horse in, holding her steady as she tosses her head, and allows her to drop to a walk. Nobuyuki and Morisuke slow as well, falling in on either side of him, and the first thing Nobuyuki notices is how rigid Tetsurou’s hands are on the reins, how thin and tight his mouth is set. Morisuke sees it too, for he asks instantly, “What is it? What’s wrong?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou does not so much as turn to acknowledge him, still glaring straight ahead. Morisuke opens his mouth to say something else, frowning, but Nobuyuki forestalls him with a gesture. They accompany Tetsurou for a good few minutes, following him into the start of the woods in silence, and he only wheels his horse around to face them upon reaching a wide clearing.</p>
  <p>“My father,” he says, the words as curt and cold as frosted autumn leaves, “has been so kind as to inform me that I’m to meet Sawamura Daichi within the fortnight.”</p>
  <p>Morisuke looks startled, and Nobuyuki feels much the same. “Already?” he says. “You’re only sixteen next month, and you’re not to be wed till -”</p>
  <p>“Until we are twenty-six, yes, but they have decided, he and Nekomata and all the rest of them, that it’ll be as well if we begin to know each other now. Their intention is that we grow accustomed to each other, that we may begin to - to discuss those matters of rule that led to this <em>damnable</em> arrangement in the first place -”</p>
  <p>Morisuke’s frown grows deeper, more puzzled. “You’ve been promised to him since you were all of five years of age, Tetsu. We thought you didn’t mind -?”</p>
  <p>“Yes, when I was but a child, when I knew nothing of such a distant future, when I was always taught that the marriage was as inevitable as the seasons turning!” Tetsurou’s horse snorts at his rising voice, shaking her mane nervously; he makes no move to soothe her. “But an hour spent with my father, to put me in possession of all the details he believes it to be time I know of - Mori, you can’t imagine how iniquitous this is, what they - god damn you, stand <em>still!</em>”</p>
  <p>He wrenches at the reins almost savagely, causing the roan to whinny in shrill protest, and Nobuyuki hastily urges his own horse forward to grip her bridle and hold her still. Tetsurou so rarely loses his temper, and even more rarely does he fail to accord due care to his horses. He rarely fails to accord such care to anyone, in fact, whether a hunting dog or a servant or a tenant on his land, and seeing him like this is giving Nobuyuki true cause for worry.</p>
  <p>He lets no trace of it cross his face, however, instead fixing his steady gaze on his friend. “Whatever it may be, you can be sure we’ll help you to the best of our ability,” he says. “But we can’t do so if you won’t calm yourself enough to tell us what’s amiss.”</p>
  <p>The sound Tetsurou lets out is a travesty of a laugh, and he drops the reins entirely to press a hand to his eyes. “I’ll have to leave,” he says, his voice shaking ever so slightly. “I’ll have to go live on Sawamura estate with him, once we are married.”</p>
  <p>“What?” Morisuke exclaims sharply. “Did they stipulate this condition?”</p>
  <p>“They didn’t have to!” Tetsurou allows his hand to fall, his eyes bright with tears. “Karasuno may need our connections to consolidate their reach here, but my father said we stand in greater need of their strength to bolster our own borders, of their influence so we can create a foothold for ourselves in the north. And I’m nothing more than the second child, not even the heir, so I’m simply the - the object to be bartered, my life traded to set the final seal on the alliance -”</p>
  <p>“They can’t do this! They can’t force you to -”</p>
  <p>“No, they can’t, and they won’t. And so I told him to his face.”</p>
  <p>“What?” It escapes Nobuyuki before he can think the better of it. “You told him - you truly intend to break the betrothal?”</p>
  <p>“Of course I do!” Tetsurou’s voice is rising once more, and Nobuyuki redoubles his grip on the roan’s bridle. “Do you think I would so tamely leave my home? My land? My people? Sent to live in the mountains with some northern bastard -” He catches himself, his jaw clenching hard before he speaks again, more controlled. “That - was not fair. Sawamura could hate this just as much I do - none of this is his fault. Just - if they want an alliance, can Sawamura and I not simply work together as Nekoma does with Fukurodani? As Karasuno does with Dateko? Their recently-gained power may still be on the rise, but the Nekoma-Karasuno treaty is now twenty years old! Why must the Nekoma clans, well established for over three centuries, fear them? Why must I be forced into a marriage with a total stranger who lives on the other side of the country, instead of growing to be a leader who will work to improve Nekoma’s prospects on the strength of my own abilities and intelligence - and yours? God, how could he ever think that I would ever leave the two of you, and Kenma, and everyone here?”</p>
  <p>His voice breaks, then fades to silence, and both Nobuyuki and Morisuke glance away so he can wipe his tears.</p>
  <p>“I only hope they don’t manage to force your hand,” Morisuke says eventually. “I know Nekomata-san has had his heart set on this for years, and the rest of the elders agree with him.”</p>
  <p>“They won’t, I’ll make sure of it. Kenma will help me, he’s already learnt enough that he’ll make sure I don’t do anything that they could hold over my head. Besides, I would by far rather be an outcast in disgrace here than a pampered prisoner there.”</p>
  <p>“Understandable.” Nobuyuki touches his wrist lightly, scanning his face with perhaps more anxiety than he would like to admit. “Tetsu, I’m certain I need not tell you this, but your determination to break the betrothal will strain relations with Karasuno, and it will certainly cause your father to lose face. Life is likely to become uncomfortable for you, to say the least. If there is anything either of us can do to make your burden lighter, please don’t hesitate for an instant to inform us of it.”</p>
  <p>“I will.” Tetsurou manages a smile, but it’s a wan effort. “Thank you, Nobu. The clan elders convene in three days, and I’ll - I’ll inform them of this then. I’ll still do everything I can to keep abreast of our affairs, I’ll work harder than anyone to improve our relations despite this, I’ll even meet with Sawamura as a friend and ally if they desire me to do so, but anything related to marriage - no. As for my father, I know the shame this will cause him, but that does not supersede my own desires, and it may be selfish of me, but when he tried to -”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou cuts himself off, seeming to hesitate, and Morisuke frowns. “What did he do?”</p>
  <p>“He said - he said it’s what my mother would have wanted. I can’t possibly owe him consideration for his wounded feelings after he tried to use her name to manipulate me so, I - how could he - she’d <em>never</em>, not for an instant, have wanted me to - pushed me to - if she’d known, I <em>know </em>she wouldn’t have -”</p>
  <p>“No, she wouldn’t,” Morisuke says at once, urging his bay forward to lay a hand on Tetsurou’s shoulder and shake it none too gently. “Don’t you dare let yourself think that she would have for as much as a single second. You hear me?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou draws a long, shaking breath, and his smile is a little stronger when he nods at Morisuke. Nobuyuki finally lets go of his horse’s bridle, and he backs his own grey around with a nod to a track leading out of the woods. “Shall we return to my home? We could ask my grandmother for advice, if you like. At the very least, she should be appraised of how matters stand before the meeting; and if you can convince her to support you, so much the better.”</p>
  <p>“I’d like that very much indeed,” Tetsurou laughs, tear-tracks still gleaming on his cheeks as he nudges his own horse to follow Nobuyuki’s, and Nobuyuki finds a measure of relief in hearing that his voice is somewhat restored to its usual tone. “Whatever would I do without the two of you?”</p>
  <p>“Nothing worth doing, that’s for certain,” Morisuke says, tossing a grin over his shoulder as his bay breaks into a brisk trot. “You should certainly count yourself lucky that you have us!”</p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p>
  <em>February, 1810<br/>
<br/>
</em>
  <em>The Sawamura family library, Sawamura manor, Karasuno<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p>
  <p>Daichi gazes out of the window, sitting on the ledge with one leg pulled up to his chest and an arm looped around the knee, watching soft, cloudy mist pool in the dark-emerald valley below. He does not dare turn to face Suga - even at the age of nineteen, even with more than three years to have become accustomed to the state of affairs with respect to the Nekoma son, he still cannot clear all trace of his feelings from his face.</p>
  <p>“So he once more rejected a meeting,” he says, quiet enough that anyone else present could have been pardoned for thinking that he spoke to himself.</p>
  <p>Suga, of course, knows better. “He did,” he replies, just as quietly. “I completed the report you requested, nevertheless. Do you still desire to hear it?”</p>
  <p>Daichi’s jaw clenches, but his voice is even enough when he says, “Yes, please go ahead.”</p>
  <p>There is a brief rustling of paper, a soft clearing of Suga’s throat. “The second child of Lord Kuroo, Kuroo Tetsurou. He is known to have been more attached to his mother than his father, but she passed away when he was twelve years of age. His elder sister, being the heir to the Kuroo name, will assume her father’s dignities upon his death. Despite this, he is said to be deeply and selflessly invested in the health of the Kuroo estates and those who reside there. He is well-known among the southern nobility more than even his elevated status should allow, for he turns a clever tongue and considerable charm of manner to good account in his dealings with the other families. There is no noble house where he has neither acquaintance nor friend, and if the more traditional elders do not always approve of the manner in which he speaks, they cannot help but acknowledge the good sense of his proposals.<br/>
<br/>
“His closest friends are Yaku Morisuke and Kai Nobuyuki, who are of an age with him and whose estates lie alongside his. They are considered to be well nigh inseparable. He has no Hand as yet, but it is likely to be Kozume Kenma, another childhood friend and a year younger than him, of a family that has had close ties to the Kuroos for nearly two centuries now. Kuroo Tetsurou himself has been described as perceptive, strategic, and loyal to those who are loyal to him, never once failing where his help has been required. He is a notable horseman, and is competent with three types of single-edged sword and four types of double-edged sword. He does not accompany his father and sister when they visit the capital, being trusted enough to manage all pressing affairs until they should return.”</p>
  <p>Daichi still looks out over the rolling hills, still watches the curling mist. “He does not visit the capital, hm?” he says eventually.</p>
  <p>“Yes.”</p>
  <p>“He will not run the slightest chance of meeting me, then.”</p>
  <p>“ . . . So it seems.”</p>
  <p>“Does this wise paragon care <em>nothing </em>for the damage that has been done to relations between Karasuno and Nekoma due to his rash decision to not entertain the betrothal? I am aware that such arrangements are not quite as common in the south as they are here, but surely he -” Daichi cuts himself off, biting his lip at the bitterness beginning to creep into his tone.</p>
  <p>“I cannot speak to his mind, but as for his actions . . . he has always accorded any envoy from Karasuno with the utmost respect. When he refuses to meet you, the messages remain always directly from him, and he continues to express willingness to meet anyone else from Karasuno - he will even meet with you, if the marriage is not part of the conversation. Though Ukai and the rest still feel some annoyance at his recalcitrance, they cannot see the rest of his behaviour as anything else but evidence of respect - and when even Nekomata cannot alter Kuroo Tetsurou’s resolve to be steadfast in his refusal, there is nothing to be done but to move ahead as best as we can, short of kidnapping him and bringing him up here.”</p>
  <p>“Would it not further poison relations between our clans, I would do so myself,” Daichi mutters. “How long does he expect us to wheedle and wait? No matter how polite he may be in his refusal, it cannot be anything but a studied insult to myself, and for what? From where does his evident hatred spring?”</p>
  <p>“Not hatred, Daichi. I cannot tell you why he is so obstinate about this, but it has nothing to do with you, with who you are -”</p>
  <p>“Is that meant to console me?” Daichi turns to look at him, furiously blinking away an involuntary film of tears. “I heard Nekomata, the last time he visited - ‘The boy is all courtesy, but he bolts like a deer at the mere mention of Sawamura’s name.’ This, when he knows nothing of me, and yet will not so much as look upon my face! They are as set upon this marriage as ever, and because of Kuroo Tetsurou’s folly, we will meet at the age of six-and-twenty not only as strangers, but as strangers who resent one another. If he could have brought himself to overcome whatever revulsion he felt, if we could have but formed some sort of relationship - at least as partners and as comrades, I would not have ever wished that he be anything else if it went against his will - we could have prepared for that day together, and brought both provinces closer together in the process. Instead -”</p>
  <p>Suga’s expression turns soft with understanding as Daichi’s throat closes up. He says nothing as he comes to lay a hand on Daichi’s shoulder, however, simply waiting in silence for Daichi to master himself.</p>
  <p>“I beg your pardon, Suga.” Daichi manages to look up at him with a smile, after a moment or two. “Only it is cruel that he should inflict such unnecessary hardship upon the both of us, particularly when he seems - he seems like someone I would be glad to know, glad to call a friend. We have no choice, we have never had a choice, so why will he not just -”</p>
  <p>Suga squeezes his shoulder tight when his voice fails once more. “I do not know,” he murmurs. “I doubt whether anyone besides Kuroo himself could tell you, apart from perhaps Kai and Yaku, or his Hand. It is no reflection on you, and I know how this hurts, how it makes an already difficult path even more difficult. I am sorry he has chosen to do this, Daichi. It is not what you deserve.”</p>
  <p>Daichi puts up a hand to lay upon his, knowing Suga will read the unsaid gratitude in the gesture. “Does he . . . is it that he already loves another?”</p>
  <p>“Not to my knowledge, no.”</p>
  <p>And that is as good as an assurance that he does not, for Suga is nothing if not dedicated, and having trained to be Daichi’s Hand since he was thirteen, he now matches Takeda-san in all but experience. Daichi sighs, turning to look out the window once more as he allows his hand to drop. An existing love is the only explanation he can think of for such persistent stubbornness, and Daichi would have had nothing but sympathy for Kuroo if that had been the case. But if the answer is not that, then Daichi cannot help but think hardly of him, no matter what reasons he has for shirking his duty in this way.</p>
  <p>“I’m sorry, Daichi, but I will be needed elsewhere soon,” Suga says, after a few minutes spent rubbing Daichi’s shoulder soothingly. “Shall I send someone to you?”</p>
  <p>“No, thank you. I would like to be alone for a while.”</p>
  <p>“I understand.” He bends to rub his cheek against Daichi’s, a gentler and more affectionate version of the customary air-kiss goodbye. “I’ll take my leave, then.”</p>
  <p>“Yes, of course. Thank you - for the information, and the comfort.”</p>
  <p>Suga brushes this aside with a wave and hint of his easy smile, and he is almost at the door before something prompts Daichi to say, “Suga -”</p>
  <p>“Yes?”</p>
  <p>It’s a silly question, more suited to a callow boy than a youth who has been involved in managing Karasuno’s affairs for two years now, though Suga will not judge him for it. Still, he cannot quite meet Suga’s eyes when he says, “Is he - handsome? Kuroo?”</p>
  <p>Suga looks startled for a moment, but laughs. “Why, this should have been a question you asked years ago! He is said to be so, yes. Tall, with a figure suited admirably to southern riding-dress. He still refuses to have a miniature painted to be sent to us, but he is said to resemble his father fairly closely in the eyes and shape of the face.”</p>
  <p>“I see. Thank you, once again.”</p>
  <p>Suga leaves with that kind smile, his <a href="https://www.holoong.com/uploadproduct/2017-11-20/big/030211055120179142.jpg">hanfu</a> fluttering gently as he turns to slide the door shut behind himself. Daichi returns to his contemplation of the hillsides, watching as the first stars begin to show in the velvet sky. Kuroo Tetsurou will be by his side one day, as he rules all this - that fate is an inescapable one, binding him as effectively as a fierce mountain bear is bound by iron shackles.</p>
  <p><em>And whether that will make it a happy rule, or a painful one</em>, he thinks, hugging both knees to his chest, <em>it appears from what Suga said that he will not, at the very least, be either unjust or uncaring. And is that not the most I can ask for?</em></p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p>
  <em>March, 1812<br/>
<br/>
Kuroo Tetsurou’s study, Kuroo manor, Nekoma<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p>
  <p>“ - spoke to him, and Tora has requested me to assure you that he’ll handle the matter.”</p>
  <p>“And the fishing trade issue with Itachiyama?” Tetsurou taps his pen absently on his desk, frowning as he leafs through the thick sheaf of paper lying before him. “We can agree to a five percent tax drop, but their restrictions on Nekoma fisherfolk entering and leaving their territory border on the ridiculous. Does Sakusa imagine that we harbour every sort of plague here? Quarantine for a sennight is entirely unreasonable. Our fisherfolk can’t afford to spend their time kicking their heels for so long every time they travel upriver to sell their catch.”</p>
  <p>Kenma sighs, slouched in his seat opposite Tetsurou with his chin in one hand. “He is stubborn about things like this . . . but I’ll speak to his Hand. Komori listens well enough, even if he is irritating to deal with, and he has enough influence over Sakusa to reduce it to at least five days.”</p>
  <p>“Five days is still the better part of a week -”</p>
  <p>“Five days is the norm at all their other borders. I’ll not succeed in negotiating for more, and I’m not fool enough to make the attempt.”</p>
  <p>“Very well, then. Inform me when you speak to Komori, and I’ll write to request a formal meeting with Itachiyama’s council. You may return this to Komori -” Tetsurou hands the trade agreement to Kenma. “And do be sure to inform him that we’ll not appreciate any more such hidden clauses.”</p>
  <p>Kenma looks disgruntled even as he nods, and Tetsurou cannot help but chuckle. “For someone so averse to dealing with other people, you certainly fill the role of Hand admirably.”</p>
  <p>“There’s nothing surprising about that,” Kenma says dampingly. “Years of practice at cleaning up after you could not have failed to stand me in good stead.”</p>
  <p>“You wound me,” Tetsurou says, mock-pouting solely to irritate Kenma. “Is this how my lifelong friend truly feels towards me?”</p>
  <p>“Obviously. Why, am I meant to feel any different?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou laughs and allows the subject to drop. “Never mind, then. Will you stay here tonight and ride back in the morning? Or have you already bespoken your carriage to -”</p>
  <p>“There is another matter of business,” Kenma says, interrupting without compunction. “Not that you’ll pay the least heed to it, but it should be brought to your notice regardless.”</p>
  <p>“Oh? What is it?”</p>
  <p>“Sawamura’s annual invitation to meet in the capital arrived yesterday.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou clicks his tongue with annoyance, his light mood evaporating. “He still persists?”</p>
  <p>“At the very least, it’s better than when the invitations were arriving every three months.”</p>
  <p>“I still find it difficult to believe they’re truly from him, and not one of the Karasuno elders still set upon this betrothal.” Tetsurou drums his fingers on the desk, rapid and restless. “Why would anyone desire to marry someone they’ve never laid eyes on before?”</p>
  <p>“He may sign the letters, but I doubt he truly wants it.”</p>
  <p>“He’s being remarkably persistent for someone who doesn’t, then.”</p>
  <p>“From what I’ve heard of him, it most likely arises more from a sense of duty than from anything else.”</p>
  <p>“Oh? A stickler, is he? Sounds like a dull, rigid type.”</p>
  <p>Kenma gives him an unimpressed look. “If he is, he hides it very well. He’s said to be kind, just, intelligent, and warm-hearted. Dateko’s Moniwa has described him as a born leader.”</p>
  <p>“What, do you intend to try to convince me to meet him? More than five years have passed since I broke the betrothal, Kenma, and if I allow them to force us to meet now, it will have all been for naught.”</p>
  <p>“Do you truly think you‘ll be able to escape this?” Kenma asks, a rare note of exasperation in his voice. “Forget forcing you to meet, they’ll force you to marry, and nothing you can say or do will turn them from that decision. Your stubbornness has only strengthened them in their resolve, Nekoma and Karasuno leaders both.”</p>
  <p>“What, will they drag me to the altar bound hand and foot?” The words are spoken a little too sharply, and Tetsurou takes a moment to collect himself before he continues, “They cannot force me any other way. And by remaining stubborn, I’m surely furthering Sawamura’s distaste of me. The invitations have dwindled from four a year to one - they’ll cease eventually, I’m certain of it, for why should he continue to make such an effort when my refusal has continued to be unyielding? If I continue to work to keep relations with Karasuno cordial until before we turn twenty-six, and if I then approach him to persuade him of the folly of a betrothal that cannot bring anything but unhappiness to the both of us, I’m persuaded he’ll see reason.<br/>
<br/>
"Once I convince him, they can’t possibly force a marriage where both of us are unwilling. You said he is intelligent, and kind, and just. Why, then, should he wish to be bound to a complete stranger for the rest of his life? If I accede to their pleadings for a single meeting, one meeting will become two, two will become four, and I will be well-acquainted with him before I can stop it. Once that point is crossed, my fate will be sealed. If it’s only a sense of duty that urges him to continue reaching out, then my actions must relieve him, for he escapes the burden of the betrothal without any blame attaching to himself.”</p>
  <p>There is silence for a minute or so before Kenma says, slowly, “So you depend on him being averse to you to be able to convince him to rescind his consent to the marriage. But what if you can’t do so? You have no evidence that he partakes of your sentiments. Or what if you do convince him, but he still bears a grudge? Do you think he will work with you amicably to ensure flourishing relations between Karasuno and Nekoma? Or, if not you, your sister? An insult of such long standing is not easily brushed aside, and if you think that just because your father has ceased trying to convince you out of exasperation there is no longer an issue, you’re deluding yourself.”</p>
  <p>Such words would be the height of incivility from nearly anyone else, but from Kenma, it is nothing but genuine solicitude for how Tetsurou will manage five years hence. Tetsurou sighs, knowing this full well, and leans back in his chair.</p>
  <p>“If he bears a grudge, then he bears a grudge,” he says. “My family have all said time and time again that they’ve done their utmost to convince me, and it’s nothing but the truth, after all. No blame attaches to my sister, and it’s she and her children who will rule, so it should not affect relations with him to a very great degree. I don’t despair of being able to convince him, however. I won’t meet him only to argue for the justice of what I’ve done - I’ll apologize for the insult, explain my reasons for acting as I have, and persuade him into acceptance to the best of my ability, whether that requires appealing to his mercy or his logic. It’s said I have a silver tongue, is it not? I will use it to the utmost, then. Either way, the risk is not so much as it would be if I yielded now.”</p>
  <p>Kenma inclines his head. “I understand. Only . . . do you not sometimes wonder if it was worth all this? Your life has not been easy, to state it mildly.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou recalls his sister’s anger and his father’s reproaches, his constant, tortuous companions for years; recalls his own furious tears in front of the entire Nekoma council after he’d stood his ground for the tenth time at the age of eighteen; recalls Morisuke and Nobuyuki sitting close by him in twilight-shaded woods, humouring him with silent compassion as he sketched passionate, half-formed plans to flee the province entirely, his words burning and desperate on cold lips; and he smiles, wry and a little twisted.</p>
  <p>“I do. Of course I do. Only . . . all it takes is one ride down to the coast, one walk through the wheat fields, one trip to town on market day, and I feel such love for this land as - I doubt I could explain with any coherence. I know I need not make the attempt, with you. The fact of the matter is that I can’t leave here, Kenma. I was born here, I’ll die here, and I’ll give everything I have for this place and these people, <em>my</em> people. If I were anywhere else, doing anything else, my soul would wither away from sheer longing, from sheer sorrow. I’ve no choice at all.”</p>
  <p>“Well . . . ” Kenma rises from his chair, tucking his hair behind one ear as he gathers his stack of papers close to his chest. “At least now you know that you and Sawamura share one thing in common.”</p>
  <p>“And what is that?” Tetsurou asks with some amusement.</p>
  <p>Kenma smiles, just slightly, as he walks to the door. “A warm heart. I’ll throw the invitation on the fire, don’t worry. We travel to Shinzen next weekend, yes?”</p>
  <p>“We do indeed,” Tetsurou laughs, affection glowing to life in his chest. “Thank you, Kenma.”</p>
  <p>“As I said,” Kenma says over his shoulder, “years of practice.”</p>
  <p>And the door closes softly behind him.</p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p>
  <em>September, 1814</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>Sawamura Daichi’s private conference room, Sawamura manor, Karasuno<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p>
  <p>Daichi looks up from his writing desk when Asahi knocks on the doorframe, smiling in surprised welcome. “Why, I thought you would be another day upon the road,” he says, his light green hanfu rustling as he rises to his feet. “Come in, Asahi, Yachi, Ennoshita. Will you take any refreshment? Have you eaten?”</p>
  <p>“We have, we visited home briefly to put off our travel-worn clothes,” Asahi smiles, going to him and bending to kiss the air beside first one cheek, then the other. “And we rested upon the road often, so we are not fatigued in the least.”</p>
  <p>“Is that so?” Daichi turns to the other two, a teasing twinkle in his eye as he reaches out to air-kiss them in turn. “Are you sure he speaks for you two as well? Yachi, I know you adore the peach manju we make, I can have some sent for.”</p>
  <p>“Oh, not at all!” Yachi’s hands are fluttering, shy, nearly lost in her long sleeves. “I wouldn’t for the world put you to the trouble -”</p>
  <p>“It is no trouble at all, you must know that by now. Ennoshita, for you?”</p>
  <p>“As Asahi-san has said, we are not fatigued,” Ennoshita smiles, polite and precise as always. “I would appreciate some black tea, however.”</p>
  <p>“Black tea and peach manju it is, then. Please take a seat, I will only be a moment.”</p>
  <p>They do as he says, kneeling on the tatami a little way from the desk, and Asahi allows himself to look around at his leisure as he waits for Daichi to return. He remembers when this room had been almost entirely bare, furnished with nothing but the tatami and the writing desk. Now the desk has too many neat stacks of paper to count, a multitude of inkpots and brushes, and the walls are crowded with maps, charts, and diagrams. A soot-stained lamp is placed discreetly to one side, Daichi’s constant companion on late nights, and small, tasteful shrubs flowering in earthen pots in each corner provide the room with a cheerful splash of colour. He spends as much time in here as in his own room, perhaps more, and it seems as suited to him as a well-worn set of clothes.</p>
  <p>“It will arrive shortly,” Daichi says as he returns, going to kneel across from them and placing his hands comfortably in his lap. “Now, how went the trip?”</p>
  <p>“Very well, Daichi-san,” Ennoshita replies. “Fukurodani were most hospitable, and the son of the Akaashi house personally conducted us wherever we wished to visit. I laid your proposal before Lady Bokuto, and she seemed well-disposed towards it, but there were a few caveats she requested us to consider . . . “</p>
  <p>Asahi listens as attentively as Daichi does, for he had not been able to leave the capital to join Yachi and Ennoshita until after their stay at Fukurodani, and they had not felt it right to discuss the details of their mission with him before laying them before Daichi. This was not quite usual, for the annual trip to visit their southern allies was more a courteous matter of form than anything else, undertaken by rotating members of the Karasuno clan; but in this instance Yachi and Ennoshita had carried with them a proposal to finally formalize the number of soldiers to be sent as assistance in times of need, if either side should ever request it.</p>
  <p>Well aware of this, and of the many invisible ears that surely surrounded them as they travelled, Asahi had been content to wait until they returned to hear of what had transpired. He does so now, and it seems that none of Lady Bokuto’s conditions are of any great significance. She only reduces the number of infantry by a hundred, and increases the cavalry by two hundred, both of which they are well able to afford. Agreement had been forthcoming on everything else after some discussion, Yachi says, and lays a heavily sealed scroll before Daichi to sign. Daichi does so, writing his name next to Lady Bokuto’s, and places the agreement into one of the drawers on his desk before locking it.</p>
  <p>“I will obtain my mother’s signature when she returns from Johzenji, and pen a letter to Lady Bokuto informing her of our acceptance,” he says. “And now that that is over with, tell me! How was the remainder of your trip? How did you fare at Nekoma?”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, it was lovely! The Haiba family were very kind hosts, and Alisa-san expressed herself to be more than willing to visit Karasuno in the near future. Her brother took us out sailing in one of the fastest ships in their fleet; he was wonderfully enthusiastic about explaining how it all works.”</p>
  <p>Daichi hums in consideration. “Kind of them. The Haibas are not in Nekoma’s inner circle, are they?”</p>
  <p>“Not precisely, no.” Yachi tilts her head thoughtfully. “They became part of the council only fifty years ago, and though there is no doubt of their loyalty, they are not quite fully trusted as yet.”</p>
  <p>“I see. Did you meet any other Nekoma nobility?”</p>
  <p>“Fukunaga Shouhei,” Ennoshita answers. “One of the second level families. He was very quiet, but again, entirely obliging.”</p>
  <p>“And did there seem to be any hidden motive behind this willingness to please?”</p>
  <p>“We discussed the same question once or twice, and none of the three of us felt so. If I may say so, the rather tense arrangement between yourself and Kuroo Tetsurou seems not to have had a truly lasting effect on their attitude towards us. They are nothing but cordial, and though they are careful not to reveal their hand, I think I am not mistaken in saying that they continue to depend on our goodwill as much as we do theirs.” Ennoshita hesitates for a moment, his eyes on Daichi’s face. “I apologize if I spoke too freely, but -”</p>
  <p>“Oh, not at all.” Asahi watches the slightly rigid cast to Daichi’s expression vanish as he smiles. “Thank you, Ennoshita. Is there anything else you would like to report?”</p>
  <p>There is nothing much beyond a few more details of their conversations with Nekoma nobility, and a chance encounter with Wakunan’s young Lord Nakashima Takeru on the road, who had requested them to convey his respects and his intention of calling at the Sawamura estate in the near future. Ennoshita and Yachi are soon rising to take their leave, bowing and kissing Daichi farewell. Asahi rises with them, but does not follow, shaking his head when Yachi pauses inquiringly by the door to let her know she might leave without him.</p>
  <p>“You were quiet today,” Daichi remarks, sliding the door shut behind them before turning to face Asahi, his smile now smaller and warmer than the one he had worn in front of Ennoshita and little Yachi. “Is there something amiss?”</p>
  <p>Asahi sits down again, cross-legged this time - one of perhaps five people in all of Karasuno who are allowed to do so in Daichi’s presence - and Daichi follows suit, leaning an elbow comfortably on his writing desk as he waits for Asahi to speak.</p>
  <p>“I just wanted to ask - I was not sure if-” Asahi sighs, exasperated, and collects his words more carefully. “I wished to ask about your feelings towards Nekoma, now, and to Kuroo Tetsurou in particular. When Ennoshita mentioned him, I rather thought you might not be as objective towards them as you would like us to believe.”</p>
  <p>“Why, what slander,” Daichi laughs. “Would I allow my feelings to cloud my judgement? For shame, Asahi!”</p>
  <p>“I did not say you would do so! I only wondered - I remembered how it hurt you, all those years ago, and I realised you have not spoken of it for a good while now. If you would still rather not do so, I will of course not press you, but I only wanted to ask if - if it still pains you, what he did.”</p>
  <p>Daichi looks startled, then he laughs once more, more quietly than before. “I might have guessed you would find me out,” he says. “You are not wrong - I am not entirely objective. How could I be? There must always be a lingering feeling that is, if not resentful exactly, then - disgruntled, let us say. But that is not directed towards Nekoma, who have more than compensated for a past history of rivalry. It is only for Kuroo, this tiny grudge I allow myself to bear. But there is no pain, I assure you; I brought myself to accept the way things are long ago. We must still be wed, and so we will meet on our wedding day for the first time. I have done what I can to avoid that, to gain at least an acquaintance with him, but he would have none of it, and so . . .” He shrugs with one shoulder, a faint smile curving his mouth. “There is nothing more I can do, and nothing to be gained by dwelling upon it. To break the betrothal on my side as well would be to test the Karasuno-Nekoma treaty far too dangerously. My duty is, and has always been, ensuring that Karasuno thrives. And for that reason, when he is my husband, I will continue to do my utmost to ensure a civil marriage. If that is not brought to pass either, it will not be due to lack of effort on my part.”</p>
  <p>“I see,” Asahi murmurs. His heart aches for his friend, shoulders so stubbornly squared under the weight of such responsibility, still facing forward as he walks a road that only continues to get steeper. “I wish - I wish this had not fallen to your lot, Daichi.”</p>
  <p>Daichi reaches out to take his hand and clasp it tight, his smile now warm with affection. “You always understand me so well, dear friend,” he says. “Ah, do not look at me so. My troubles are not yours, and though I am grateful that you asked, I would not have them burden you. Forget all I said, yes?”</p>
  <p>“Easier said than done.”</p>
  <p>“I know, but . . .” Asahi’s hand is squeezed, tight and insistent. “Do not imagine that I regret this for an instant. I will not say that I enjoy this state of affairs, but I do this for you, for Suga, for everyone I command and every citizen of the province who looks to me to rule. I do this so that I prove myself worthy of the trust placed in me, and that truly makes it all worthwhile, I swear to you.”</p>
  <p>Asahi opens his mouth to protest, sees the rueful plea in Daichi’s eyes, and instead chooses to lean forward and kiss his cheek - not an air-kiss, but a true one, light and fleeting.</p>
  <p>“If you say so,” he says, half a sigh, squeezing Daichi’s hand in return. “But you are not alone, Daichi. You will remember that, will you not? If your pride is in bearing the weight of our trust, then our duty - and our pleasure - lie in helping to make your burden as light as we can possibly manage, in our limited capacities. We are always, always by your side, and we will never leave it.”</p>
  <p>He catches only a glimpse of Daichi’s eyes, the dark brown gleaming just a little brighter than usual, before Daichi allows his head to fall forward so that his forehead is laid against Asahi’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he murmurs, so quietly as to almost be a whisper. Asahi wraps an arm around him and draws him close, willing to hold his friend as long as he chooses to be held.</p>
  <p>And if Asahi’s shoulder is slightly dampened, and Daichi’s breath is just a trifle unsteady as they sit there together, well. No one need ever know besides the two of them.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Stem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p>*sprinkles some asaboku and mikashou into this chapter because i cant help myself* </p>
</div></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p>
  <em>February, 1826</em>
</p>
  <p>
  <em>Northern border of the Kuroo estate, Nekoma<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</em>
</p>
  <p>“And that’s about it, sir.” Taketora reins his horse in as they crest the hill, gesturing to the golden, rolling fields below. “Apart from the pests down by the river, it looks like we’re in for a good harvest.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou nods his approval as he looks over the land. “Excellent management as usual, Tora. My thanks for taking the time to ride out with me today.”</p>
  <p>“I need to earn my hire, don’t I?” Taketora grins. “And it’s no trouble at all, sir. I appreciate that you take the time to look over everything yourself. Will you be letting your sister know of our discussion, or shall I request a meeting with her separately?”</p>
  <p>“Oh, I’ll let her know, you needn’t put yourself to the trouble.” They turn their horses by tacit consent, letting them walk leisurely back down the hill. “It would be ideal if you were present at the meeting, however. She is expected back four days hence; will you be available?”</p>
  <p>“I’d planned to visit the eastern outlying estates, but it can be rearranged.”</p>
  <p>“I will let you know the precise time, then. And -”</p>
  <p>“Ah - pardon, sir, but I think Kai-san is coming to meet you.” Taketora points down the road with his whip, and sure enough, Nobuyuki is trotting their way. “He likely wants to speak to you privately, so I’d best take myself off. Did you have anything further to discuss with me?”</p>
  <p>“Nothing, only a request that you update Kenma about what we discussed, and warn Mori that the pest seems likely to cross into his land.”</p>
  <p>“Understood, sir. I’ll meet you back at the house, then.” “Yes, thank you, Tora.”</p>
  <p>Taketora returns his smile and nudges his horse into a canter, tipping his hat to Nobuyuki when they pass each other by. Nobuyuki does the same, and reaches out to grasp Tetsurou’s hand in greeting when he’s close enough.</p>
  <p>“Good morning, Tetsu.”</p>
  <p>“Morning, Nobu,” Tetsurou grins, shaking his hand. “Did you come to find me? Tora thought we must be trading secrets, so he fled.”</p>
  <p>“Nothing quite so dramatic,” Nobu chuckles. “Were you on your rounds?”</p>
  <p>“I was, but I was just about to head home. If you would rather speak to me out here, however, we could take the long coast road back.”</p>
  <p>“The coast road will do nicely, thank you. It truly isn’t a matter of grave importance; I only came to find you because I called at the manor first, where they told me you were out and did not know when you would return.”</p>
  <p>“That argues urgency, Nobu,” Tetsurou laughs, easily backing his horse to face the same direction as Nobuyuki’s before nudging her into a trot. “Tell me, then. What is it?”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki doesn’t answer as they arrive at the hill’s summit and begin to descend, but Tetsurou knows this silence well enough to hold his peace. Nobuyuki is always careful with his words, and if he chooses to take more time than usual to decide what to say, it’s best not to rush him.</p>
  <p>“I was only wondering,” he finally says, a few minutes after they’ve returned to level ground, “if you’ve given any thought to how you intend to conduct your . . . well, your fateful meeting with Sawamura Daichi?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou cocks a curious eyebrow at him. “Why, where does this spring from?”</p>
  <p>“Well, you are past twenty-five now, and the date set for the wedding will be here in ten months or so. And given the invitation that arrived today morning -”</p>
  <p>“Invitation? From whom?”</p>
  <p>“You haven’t seen it?” Nobuyuki reaches within his coat to pull out a gilt-edged envelope, handing it over. “Morisuke received one as well.”</p>
  <p>The card inside is also gilt-edged, Tetsurou finds, with writing of the finest calligraphy. The seal at the bottom is that of the prince’s Hand, stamped deeply into purple wax.</p>
  <p>“What on earth?” He slows his horse a little, his amusement growing as he scans the graceful lines. “ ‘On behalf of His Royal Highness, Ushijima Wakatoshi, the Prince’s Hand begs the pleasure of your attendance at an informal masked ball to be held at the Imperial Palace -’ A ball? Arranged by Tooru for the nobility?”</p>
  <p>“So it seems,” Nobuyuki says, smiling at Tetsurou’s evident mirth. “Why, what is so funny?”</p>
  <p>“Nothing at all,” Tetsurou laughs, handing the envelope back to him. “I only thought that Tooru, as usual, has the prince wrapped entirely around his finger. Can you imagine the persuasion required to convince Ushijima to host a masked ball? I shudder at the thought of it.”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki laughs as well. “It would be nothing to Oikawa, I’m sure.”</p>
  <p>“But why would this prompt you to ask me about Sawamura?”</p>
  <p>“Because your time continues to tick away, Tetsu, and you’d do well to meet him and come to an agreement well before you run into him at an event such as this. Not that you will at this particular ball, for there’s only three weeks’ notice that’s been given - seemingly it’s only meant for those who reside within easy reach of the capital, and Karasuno cannot be described as such by any stretch of the imagination. But events like these will only continue to occur, and since you continue to take the management of Nekoma’s affairs into your hands, you should speak to him to sort matters out as swiftly and painlessly as possible before it becomes late enough to impair your interests, whether with Karasuno or their allies - or before it can impair your own peace of mind.” Nobuyuki pauses for a moment to allow his words to sink in before continuing, a gentler note in his voice. “I know you well enough to be sure you’ve had a plan for this meeting drafted since a year ago, at the very least. I only ask this to ensure that you’ve set an approximate date for it as well. This is something best done sooner rather than later.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou frowns between his horse’s ears, answering after a moment or two spent in thought. “I understand and appreciate your concern, Nobu. I’ll attend the ball - I have pending business in the capital that must needs be attended to, anyhow - and I’ll ask Tooru for his advice on how to go about this. What he doesn’t know about Sawamura won’t be worth knowing. After that . . . well, I suppose I’ll send him a message within the month, and I’ll have a meeting set up before summer arrives.” He turns to Nobuyuki, his smile a little crooked. “Does that reassure you?”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki bows his head briefly. “It does indeed. If you choose to consult with Morisuke and me before you send your message, we’re entirely at your disposal.”</p>
  <p>“If I choose, he says,” Tetsurou laughs. “I wouldn’t dare send any sort of message without doing so - though I doubt Morisuke will relish your cool disposal of his time and energy.”</p>
  <p>“Ah, he may grumble, but he will be the first to demand to look over your letter before you send it.”</p>
  <p>“Won’t he just! How he ended up with two such charming brothers is a mystery I doubt I’ll ever solve.”</p>
  <p>“Let him catch you saying that and you certainly never will, for he’ll murder you himself.”</p>
  <p>The rest of their ride passes pleasantly in teasing the absent Morisuke, and Nobuyuki remains at the Kuroo manor for most of the afternoon, whiling away the hours with Tetsurou in comfortable conversation. Having thus discussed the matter of meeting with Sawamura - a matter that Tetsurou has managed to keep uneasily relegated to the back of his mind for the past few years - he is able to dismiss any worry that might raise its unwelcome head, for he has indeed had his arguments written down since he was twenty-three, and any decision he takes about how to proceed must now depend upon Tooru’s advice.</p>
  <p>So he spends the following few weeks occupied with estate management and Nekoma’s politics, as he usually does, and they pass quickly, with nothing worthy of note occurring except Tetsurou nearly forgetting to confirm his attendance at the ball. The five days that follow are spent sailing around and up from Nekoma’s southern coast to the thriving eastern port that is the kingdom’s capital. The majestic Kuroo ship travels with Nobuyuki, Morisuke, the other Nekoma nobility who have been invited, and their host of servants. Kenma flatly refuses to accompany them, finding no allure in what he describes as ‘an evening of conceited people tripping over each other’s feet, gorging themselves, and paying each other with empty compliments’. So Tetsurou draws his business to a close in the absence of his Hand within two days of arriving, unbothered by the seasickness that has Morisuke laid down on his bed for a good twelve hours, and is able to look forward to the ball with unalloyed anticipation.</p>
  <p>The appointed evening is clear and pleasant when it arrives, the breeze refreshingly cool despite the sun only just beginning to touch the horizon. The palace gleams like a newly polished jewel, set as it is against the rich green and riot of colour that is the palace gardens, which are in fresh bloom and decorated with a host of coloured lanterns. Tetsurou has chosen to wear black dress-pants and dress-boots, a pale grey waistcoat, a snowy white cravat, and a wine-red coat with ruffled white lace at his wrists, tastefully embroidered with silver thread. His half <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1719/6719/products/masquerade-masks-venetian-eye-feather-blackgold-mask4party_grande.jpg?v=1547433317">mask</a> is silver as well, patterned with swirls of red and decorated with a curling, crimson plume on the left side. He walks in with Bokuto Koutarou, his longtime and treasured friend, on his arm, well aware he is cast entirely into the shade - not by Koutarou’s tailoring, which is indeed exquisite, but by the lively charm of his genuine excitement - and cannot help but be amused by the fact.</p>
  <p>“Do leave some mysterious beauties for the rest of us, Koutarou,” he says in his ear as they mount the marble palace steps, an excitedly chattering crowd surrounding them. “Else we’ll be left with only the oldest and crotchetiest of the nobility, and you simply can’t be so cruel as to expect me to entertain Duke Washijo tonight.”</p>
  <p>Koutarou utters a crack of laughter, hastily muffled as a few people turn in surprise. “I’d give half my fortune to watch you flirt with that antiquated old fidget,” he grins.</p>
  <p>“As much as I’d appreciate the substantial addition to my inheritance, I fear the cost would scar me too deeply. Besides, I’d have to bend double to even get my arm around his waist.”</p>
  <p>Koutarou is still shaking with suppressed laughter when they arrive at the top of the steps, where Prince Ushijima Wakatoshi stands, unmasked and robed in the deepest purple, to greet the arriving guests. Tetsurou has to pinch the inside of Koutarou’s elbow hard to remind him of the need to keep a straight face as they bow deeply.</p>
  <p>“Good evening, your highness,” Tetsurou says, achieving a smile that’s at once polite, yet roguish. “A pleasure to see you in good health.”</p>
  <p>“Kuroo, Bokuto,” the prince says in his deep voice, inclining his head respectfully. “Thank you. I hope you, too, are in good health?”</p>
  <p>“Never better!” Koutarou exclaims cheerfully. “This looks to be great fun, your highness. I can’t recall the last time I’ve looked forward to a ball with such anticipation.”</p>
  <p>“Credit for both planning and execution both go entirely to Oikawa,” Prince Ushijima replies, his stoic expression relaxing into an approximation of a smile. “If you enjoy yourselves tonight, I know he will feel his efforts to be amply rewarded.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou has to bite his lip at the thought of Tooru feeling anything of the sort, laughter bubbling up in his throat. “Thank you kindly, your highness. We’ll see you inside, then, and I will certainly solicit the favour of a dance with you at some point during the night.”</p>
  <p>“I do not dance well, and certainly not half so well as you, but I will remember your invitation if I do stand up to dance.”</p>
  <p>“Save one for me as well, your highness!” Koutarou calls over his shoulder as Tetsurou bows once more and pulls him inside. “My night wouldn’t be complete without a turn around the room with the most handsome man here!”</p>
  <p>“Only you could start the night by flirting with the prince himself, Koutarou.”</p>
  <p>“What? It’s the truth!”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou shakes his head with a laugh, and then they are past the entryway, confronting a ballroom that is already beginning to fill up with people in clothes of every type and colour imaginable. Long tables line every wall, groaning under the weight of food piled high on steaming platters, and a sizable band is seated in the minstrel’s gallery, in the process of tuning their instruments. Tetsurou spies Nobuyuki and Morisuke some distance away; they are dressed in plum and dark blue respectively, with feathered masks similar to Tetsurou’s, caught in a conversation with a few people Tetsurou cannot for the life of him recognise, though the cut of their clothes argues that they are from the capital.</p>
  <p>“Want to go rescue them?” Koutarou asks, cocking an intelligent eyebrow at Morisuke, whose fixed smile belies the dangerous glitter in his eye as one of the unknown men - one in a bird half-mask with gold-bright hair swept to the side and an insolent, playful tilt to his head - laughs and steps a little closer to him.</p>
  <p>“I think not,” Tetsurou replies, not bothering to hide his satisfaction when Nobuyuki speaks, measured and quiet as always, and the man steps back with his smirk vanished. “They’re very well able to take care of themselves, and would hardly thank me for it. Besides, given the anonymity this kind of ball affords, there’s likely to be a significantly higher degree of impropriety once the drink begins to flow. If I must make a heroic display of chivalry, I’ll save it for then.”</p>
  <p>“Impropriety? In the Imperial Palace, and at the prince’s personal ball?”</p>
  <p>“Oh, you’d be surprised at how vulgar the high-born can be, my friend. But at present everyone seems to be sober and well-behaved enough -” The band strikes up just then, strains of quick and cheerful music beginning to wind through the air. “ - and so what do you say to trying our luck and going to hunt for a dance partner?”</p>
  <p>Koutarou squeezes his arm, grinning. “Why, I have mine right here. You will not object to giving me the first dance?”</p>
  <p>“Why, I would be honoured, dear sir,” Tetsurou says, with a mock-coy glance. “Not many can claim to have given their hand to the most noble, most distinguished scion of the Bokuto family -”</p>
  <p>“Any more, and I’ll leave you here to rot,” Koutarou threatens, dragging him inexorably to the dance floor. “Besides, my motives are entirely selfish. If we don’t each have ten partners waiting in line for us before the music ends, I’ve greatly misjudged our skill.”</p>
  <p>“So you're only using me to show off, then!”</p>
  <p>“Why, what else are you good for, beanpole?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou laughs and does not argue, and Koutarou is proven entirely right - when the dance ends, his hand is instantly claimed by one of the prince’s advisors, Hanamaki Takahiro, coolly charming in an aquamarine coat and white dress-pants; then by a northerner, his hanfu dark olive-green and trimmed with cream, his silky hair and glittering eyes both brown, an effortless flow of banter tripping off his tongue; and when a handsome, dark-skinned man in pearl-grey brocade and a cat half-mask asks to dance next with endearing hesitation, seemingly unaware of the many envious glares he’s caused to be aimed in Tetsurou’s direction, Tetsurou no longer doubts that he’ll enjoy the evening entirely.</p>
  <p>And so he does. Time seems to fly past in a whirl of music and laughter and merriment, with some partners who are adroit on their feet, some with engaging conversation, and some who respond wonderfully to his most audacious advances. He even manages to sweep Yamaka Mika off for a whirl around the floor under the nose of her glaring fiancee, and restores her, giggling at his nonsense and with her cheeks prettily flushed, into his arms with a deliberately provocative wink.</p>
  <p>“I would thank you, sir, to look elsewhere if you again require a partner to dance,” Daishou Suguru snaps, eyes flashing behind his emerald-green mask. “It evidently makes no difference to you, but Yamaka-san happens to be promised to me, and -”</p>
  <p>“Oh, hush,” Yamaka says, giving him a chiding look and Tetsurou a warm one. “There was no harm in it, Suguru, and so you know. Thank you for the dance, Kuroo-san, I very much enjoyed it.”</p>
  <p>“As did I, dear Yamaka-san,” Tetsurou says, bowing low over her outstretched hand. “Believe me when I say that I’d dearly love to ask you to dance once more, but alas, my courage fails me in the face of your intended’s belligerence.”</p>
  <p>“Much you care for that! You will not ask me again because you’ve been dancing with anyone with a mildly attractive figure for the past hour and a half, and none of them more than once. You, sir, are in fact an arrant flirt.”</p>
  <p>“Alas, I’ve been exposed! Is it any consolation to know that I’d not dare behave so terribly if my identity was not concealed?”</p>
  <p>“Ridiculous creature,” she laughs, tossing her hair elegantly over one shoulder. “It is consolation to know you would not behave so if it were all not in good fun. Be off and find the next pretty person to cajole into dancing with you, before my Suguru challenges you to a fight for my honour.”</p>
  <p>Daishou looks to be more than half-inclined to make good on the threat, and so Tetsurou takes himself off to find a bite to eat before he returns to dancing. As he stands with plate and glass in hand, idly scanning the ballroom, he finds that Yamaka and Daishou are not the only people whom he can recognize behind their masks. Sakusa Kiyoomi is seated alone in a shadowed corner, nursing a drink as he eyes the milling throng of people with something approaching revulsion. Akaashi Keiji and Konoha Akinori are chatting easily by one of the tables, Kita Shinsuke is on the dance floor with the prince, as graceful as Ushijima is stiff, and Matsukawa Issei seems to be trying to secure Haiba Alisa’s hand, standing close by her with an appealing smile where she sits by Inuoka.</p>
  <p>Tetsurou eyes them, wondering whether the necessity of hastening his meal and walking across to where she’s sitting will be compensated for by the triumph of cutting Matsukawa out. As practised as she is at the niceties of the polite world, Alisa has an unexpectedly timid side to her, and he knows she would much prefer to dance with someone she knows rather than a mere acquaintance. He decides in favour of it, and is just about to go over when he spies Koutarou on a couch close by, his hands flying energetically as he speaks. He’s seated with a tall man with broad shoulders and a cascade of waving, chestnut hair tied high with a red ribbon that matches the trimming of his red and white hanfu. Koutarou seems to be flirting without a hint of reticence, his eyes dancing behind his mask as he leans forward eagerly. The other man is wearing an animal mask that obscures his entire face, so Tetsurou cannot see if he’s truly embarrassed, but from the way he ducks his head and his shoulders curl inwards, he is almost certainly blushing vividly.</p>
  <p>He doesn’t seem opposed to Koutarou’s advances, however, if the shy, fleeting glances he darts at Koutarou’s face are any indication. But one thing Koutarou lacks is a delicate touch, which seems to be the need of the hour if the other man is not to be scared off. So Tetsurou makes quick work of all that’s left on his plate, drains his glass to the dregs, and sets both aside before walking over to lean over the back of the couch.</p>
  <p>“I’ve been looking for you for nearly half an hour now, traitor,” he says easily, hoping Koutarou won’t betray any confusion. “And you’ve been sitting here flirting? For shame, Kou.”</p>
  <p>Koutarou only blinks for a second; when Tetsurou gives him the slightest nod of reassurance, he responds with all of his usual energy. “Well, and how was I meant to know you were searching for me in that sad crush of people? You cannot blame me for choosing to spend my time much more pleasantly.”</p>
  <p>“Indeed I cannot,” Tetsurou says, turning to the other man with a pleasant smile. “And who is your charming companion?”</p>
  <p>“He refuses to tell me,” Koutarou says, and the mournful note in his voice could have melted even Tetsurou if he had not become inured to it at the age of seventeen. “Even though I begged.”</p>
  <p>“I am sorry for it, sir, but would it not defeat the purpose of a masked ball if I were to tell you my name?” the man says with a northerner’s lilt, his voice both strong and pleasantly low, yet diffident. “And - well, your compliments are very - very flattering, but how you can call me handsome when you cannot see my face -”</p>
  <p>“But I don’t need to!” Koutarou, ever impulsive, reaches out to take the mystery man’s hands in a quick grasp. “I can tell without seeing your face, and I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life! Will you not permit me just one glimpse?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou has to bite back a snort of amusement at that line, so finely delivered and so theatrically romantic that it could have been taken from a confession scene in any one of a dozen love novels on the market. The man seems as though he’s considering fleeing on the spot, his hands helpless in Koutarou’s.</p>
  <p>“Kou,” Tetsurou says, patting his shoulder gently, “perhaps you might begin by asking him to dance first? Not that I would blame you if you declined, sir - my friend tends to be far too precipitate in matters such as these - but it’s the fault of nothing more than an eager and affectionate heart, and if you are not entirely comfortable, you’ve only to say the word and he’ll not come next nor nigh you for the rest of the night. Am I not right, Kou?”</p>
  <p>“Of course! Oh -” Koutarou lays his hands back down instantly, looking at the man anxiously. “I’m very sorry if I was too - if you did not quite like anything that I - please do tell me if you would like me not to press you any further! I would hate nothing more than to make you uncomfortable.”</p>
  <p>“You did not,” the man says instantly, and just as anxiously. “I promise you did not. I only - I would not like to take off my mask, and I do not dance very well, but if - if you truly wish to dance with me, then -”</p>
  <p>“Indeed I do! Will you join me for the next set? I know you will enjoy it, and you need not regard dancing well, for I promise I do not either!”</p>
  <p>The man laughs softly, a sweeter sound than Tetsurou expected. “Now that I know to be a lie, for I saw you dancing before, and you were quite the best dancer of them all.”</p>
  <p>The delight blossoming on Koutarou’s face is dazzling, and Tetsurou discreetly moves away as their conversation continues, well satisfied with his work. It’s as he’s wending his way back towards the dance floor that his gaze happens across the right side of the ballroom, where tall doors open onto a long veranda that leads to the palace gardens, and he sees Tooru standing just inside the doors. This recalls to him his conversation with Nobuyuki, and so he redirects his steps thence, for though he has seen Tooru flitting around the ballroom all night, he has not seen him speaking to fewer than five people until now.</p>
  <p>Tooru is, in fact, now speaking to only one person. He’s dressed in a tasteful and tactful combination of northern and southern dress; black dress-pants and gleaming dress-boots, but with a long-sleeved shirt and a loose jacket in deep purple that have together been tailored to resemble the hanfu closely. He is unmasked, his Hand insignia gleaming silver on his chest, and he wears discreet pearls in the lobes of his ears. The man he speaks to, however, is wearing a full <a href="https://www.fashionhanfu.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/hanfu-male-dress-men-clothing-1.jpg">hanfu</a>, and is wearing it well despite being only of medium height. The long sash at his waist, the broad edges of his crossed collar, and the trimming of his loose jacket are of a dull gold, as are the flowing lotuses embroidered on the sleeves and back of the jacket. The rest is all black - an inky, shimmering black, one that should look severe amongst all the other colours in the ballroom, but instead serves to mark him out with an air of quiet elegance. His earrings are long and dangling, delicate falls of slim, golden chains that brush against his neck on each side. His mask is black as well, a long <a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5203101/il_fullxfull.318332459.jpg">fox's mask</a> with gold markings sweeping upwards on the cheeks.</p>
  <p>All this, Tetsurou notices in the bare minute it takes him to approach them - yet it is enough to slow his steps as he walks, to make him look again and more carefully. There is an assurance to the northerner’s stance, an indefinable kind of quality in the way he nods at what Tooru says which seems to indicate that he routinely speaks to people as important as - or, perhaps, more important than - the prince’s Hand. He laughs as Tetsurou arrives within hearing range, and perhaps it’s the stark gleam of his gold collar against his tan skin, or perhaps it’s his voice, deeper and richer than that of Koutarou’s admirer, or perhaps it is, as Yamaka-san had so astutely observed, Tetsurou’s weakness for a good, strong figure, which this man certainly has. In the end, it doesn’t really matter very much. The decision to ask him to dance takes only a second to be made - his intended conversation with Tooru can certainly wait for the morrow, after all - and all that remains is for Tetsurou to enter himself into their conversation as adroitly as he can manage.</p>
  <p>“ . . . I have not tried since then,” he hears Fox-mask say to Tooru, who makes a sympathetic sound. “If he still refuses to speak to me, who am I to persist?”</p>
  <p>“The loss is entirely his,” Tooru says. “Though I’m sure his reasons are -”</p>
  <p>He stops speaking when he sees Tetsurou, his eyes widening slightly. Tetsurou smiles, a little mischievously, and bows when Fox-mask turns to discover the source of the interruption.</p>
  <p>“I beg pardon for interrupting, Tooru, but I was quite struck by your friend, and I wondered if I could convince him to join me for a dance.” Fox-mask’s gaze scans him curiously, and Tetsurou’s smile becomes an impish grin as he meets his scrutiny. “If it’s not too impolite, I happened to overhear a little of your conversation, and I agree with Tooru - whoever disappointed you so, the loss is <em>entirely</em> his. Won’t you grant me a dance and allow me to banish him from your mind?”</p>
  <p>Tooru bursts into a peal of laughter, turning quickly to hide his face. Tetsurou pays it no mind - if he cannot be a little silly, a little dramatic at an event such as this, where else can he? - and keeps his attention on Fox-mask, who tilts his head a little.</p>
  <p>“A friend of yours, Oikawa?”</p>
  <p>“Unfortunately,” Tooru says, still grinning wide.</p>
  <p>“Hm.” Fox-mask’s eyes - black-rimmed with a lavish hand, Tetsurou sees, and a lovely shade of dark brown - flick from Tetsurou’s face to his feet and back again in a show of reluctance so studied that Tetsurou cannot tell whether it is false or genuine. “Are you any good at dancing, sir, or merely at pretending to be so?”</p>
  <p><em>Oh, this one has some bite to him</em>, Tetsurou thinks, intrigued and amused.</p>
  <p>“I take it you were a late arrival, sir, else you must have witnessed my skill for yourself.” He offers his elbow in a graceful gesture. “Since you did not, won’t you allow me the chance to prove it to you personally?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask glances at Tooru’s smile, then places his hand on Tetsurou’s arm. “Thank you, I will accompany you. Oikawa-san, my apologies for cutting our conversation short. Shall I find you if I wait upon you tomorrow?”</p>
  <p>“You will indeed,” Tooru replies, his eyes dancing with laughter as he bows. “I hope you enjoy yourselves!”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou bows in return before guiding Fox-mask to the dance floor, where a new set is beginning to form. “The new experiences one may have at such parties are quite surprising,” he remarks, his tone conversational, as they take their places. “I’ve never before had my worth as a dance partner called into question.”</p>
  <p>“You continue to raise my expectations, sir. I very much hope you will not prove to disappoint me.”</p>
  <p>“I’m entirely certain that I shan’t. The question remaining is only that of whether you can match me.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s eyes gleam. “Well, you will find out shortly, will you not?”</p>
  <p>The music strikes up, they make their bows, and the dance begins. Tetsurou stands a good few inches above his partner, but not enough that he needs to stoop unduly, and the certainty with which Fox-mask moves allows their steps to match uncommonly well. His grasp is light, his rhythm impeccable, and his rather sturdy build does not prevent him from almost seeming to glide across the floor. He is able to converse sensibly as well, minding his steps seemingly by instinct, and Tetsurou finds him to be by far the most enjoyable partner he’s had the whole night.</p>
  <p>“Now, will you not own that I did well?” he says, as the music ends with a flourish, smiling down at Fox-mask.</p>
  <p>“Well enough,” Fox-mask replies, returning smile for playful smile as he disengages himself from Tetsurou’s hold. “Better than I expected, for one of your height.”</p>
  <p>“You moderate your praise, cruel one, but I’m honoured to accept it nevertheless. Will you then have my hand for the next dance?”</p>
  <p>“I am promised to someone else for this one, but after that - well, if you manage to convince me once more, we shall see.”</p>
  <p>The look that accompanies this is decidedly provocative, and Tetsurou is nearly sure Fox-mask invented this previously promised dance for no other reason than to keep him waiting. He could decline to wait and find another partner, of course, but he has not yet met anyone who presents such a delightful challenge as this man; and his decision to take the bait is born of a strong desire to see more of him than the brief glimpse he has so far been permitted. If Fox-mask wishes for evidence of his continued interest, then he will have it in full measure.</p>
  <p>“I’ll wait, then, and with pleasure,” he says, bowing. “I don’t intend to let you leave me behind quite so easily.”</p>
  <p>“Well, we will see, will we not?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s inclined head spells clear dismissal, and so Tetsurou takes his leave. He remains watching from the chattering crowd as Fox-mask leads his partner, Iwaizumi Hajime, into the set, and notes the easy understanding that seems to flourish between them with perhaps a touch more pique than he will admit to himself. He knows full well that was Fox-mask’s intent, and can even laugh at himself for falling for it.</p>
  <p>But he will not, of course, give Fox-mask the satisfaction of seeing it. So when Fox-mask leaves the dance floor with Iwaizumi, apparently to continue their conversation in seated comfort, Tetsurou has nothing but politeness in his expression and pleasantries on his tongue as he goes to join them. Iwaizumi looks faintly surprised when he appears, but invites him to sit with his customary blunt courtesy. The conversation is not of any great moment - general trade trends across the country, the prince’s new guard rotation that Iwaizumi is to train, the weeks of planning that had gone into the making of this ball - and Tetsurou chooses to remain somewhat at the periphery, only interpolating a remark when he feels he has something constructive to add.<br/>
<br/>
It’s slightly irksome to restrain himself thus, silent for the most part; but remaining seemingly unaffected and allowing them the space to converse serves at once to prove his perseverance, to frustrate Fox-mask’s objective of ruffling Tetsurou’s feathers, and to give him the opportunity to hear Fox-mask speak at ease and at length. Tetsurou finds him to be friendly without being familiar, confident without seeming overbearing, and possessed of no small amount of quiet intelligence. In fact, in listening, trying to puzzle out Fox-mask’s background, and recognizing a growing respect not untinged by admiration, Tetsurou forgets to remain irked, and would have been pleased to have remained there twice as long.</p>
  <p>Iwaizumi has to excuse himself after a mere half an hour to make his rounds, however, and Fox-mask then turns to Tetsurou, his eyes crinkled just slightly at the corners. “So you can be surprisingly patient, hm? I would not have thought it; I quite expected you to leave within the space of ten minutes.”</p>
  <p>“If it had pleased you, I would have waited the whole night,” Tetsurou says, just enough laughter in his voice to toe the line between honesty and flattery. “Won’t you reward your poor, faithful suitor?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask gives Tetsurou an amused look. “You are the most practiced liar I have ever encountered. There must be a hundred people here who dance better than I, who have better conversation than I, who are dressed better and who are more charming companions. Why, then, do you pretend to find me uniquely desirable?”</p>
  <p>Rather taken aback by this direct attack, Tetsurou can only reply with the truth. “Because you are, sir. Because, of those hundred, I know fifty and have danced with the other fifty, but you are the only one who, well . . .”</p>
  <p>“Yes?”</p>
  <p>“I don’t know how I could explain it to you. There’s just - a certain sort of something about you.” Tetsurou smiles, warmer and more openly than he has till now. “And I’m of a mind to discover precisely what that is.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask says nothing for a moment, seemingly at a loss for an answer. “Do you know,” he says, at last, “I have either been attending balls with the wrong sort of people, or you truly are the best liar I’ve ever met, for I’ve never been told such a thing before?”</p>
  <p>“If you are not showered in such compliments wherever you choose to appear, the people who see you must be blind.”</p>
  <p>“Why, you yourself have not seen me, so how can you possibly say -”</p>
  <p>“I’ve seen more than you think, and you’ve not yet proved me wrong.” Tetsurou reaches an open hand towards him, his smile sharpening into a smirk. “And if you very much desire to do so, you have no choice but to continue to dance with me.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask laughs, the first time Tetsurou has made him do so, and lays his hand in Tetsurou’s. “True enough. I yield, then, and I will dance with you for as long as you choose to ask me.”</p>
  <p>His heart light in his chest, Tetsurou escorts him back to the middle of the ballroom; and, true to his word, Fox-mask makes no further attempt to leave Tetsurou’s side. He is more relaxed than before, in fact, the gently mocking edge to his words from earlier entirely vanished. He dances now like a man enjoying himself, rather than one with something to prove, and though he continues to respond to Tetsurou’s banter with as much energy as before, the object seems to be more to tease Tetsurou than to take him down a peg.</p>
  <p>They dance once, twice, thrice, Fox-mask’s silk sleeves rustling as they whirl across the floor, Tetsurou’s arm a secure support around his waist. They’re being watched by more than one pair of curious eyes, Tetsurou knows, but he cannot bring himself to care a whit; he is too occupied with matching their steps, responding to Fox-mask’s playful taunts, and doing his utmost to draw that rich laugh from him once more. He succeeds only towards the end of their third dance, and is so charmed by the music of it that he holds Fox-mask back from entering a fourth one with a hand laid on his arm.</p>
  <p>Fox-mask looks to him, quizzical. “Is something amiss?”</p>
  <p>“Not at all, but do you very much wish to dance once more?” Tetsurou gestures to the long doors leading outside. “Or would you be willing to join me in a turn around the garden?”</p>
  <p>“Why, are you tired of leading me around the floor already?” It’s said with a smile in his voice, and he steps back towards Tetsurou, allowing Tetsurou to tuck his hand into the crook of his elbow.</p>
  <p>“The very opposite,” Tetsurou says, beginning to guide him away from the dancers. “You intrigue me more with every passing moment, and I would very much like to see rather more of you than I’m able to in this crowded room.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask looks at him, his steps slowing just a fraction. “Yes?” he says. “I must suppose you have done this with some few others before me.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou slows as well, frowning slightly as he looks down at him. “Now, what would lead you to suppose such a hurtful thing?”</p>
  <p>“The ease and effrontery with which you suggest such a thing, sir.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou’s brow clears as he understands, and he presses the hand in his hold with a smile. “I’d not dream of asking you to remove your mask, my dear, or of coaxing you into doing anything you might not like,” he says. “I only wished to spend a while with you with more privacy than we’re afforded here. If you are opposed, we of course need not do so.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask ducks his head slightly. “I - am not opposed,” he murmurs. “My apologies for the assumption.”</p>
  <p>“Not at all, your concern is entirely understandable. But you are the first - and only - person I have made this request of here tonight. Or, frankly, at any other such party in the past.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s eyes fly to his face, startled for the first time. “You cannot expect me to believe that in good faith.”</p>
  <p>“Whyever not?” Tetsurou gently tugs at his hand, a silent urge to continue walking.</p>
  <p>“Everything about you: your air, your compliments, your evident comfort in such a setting as this, the fact that you have not lacked for partners since the moment you stepped into the room. I cannot believe that you have never conducted such a - a dalliance before.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou has to bite his lip to prevent his smile. “And how do you know I did not once lack for partners, my sweet fox?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask looks away from him, for once with no ready answer, and Tetsurou sees that the tips of his ears are faint pink.</p>
  <p>“Oh, were you watching me?” he says, making no attempt now to hide his delight. “All your reluctance to dance with me, then, was nothing but -”</p>
  <p>“You clearly stood in crying need of a set-down,” Fox-mask snaps, not very harshly. “So I took it upon myself to administer one.”</p>
  <p>“Yet you could not help but relent towards me, isn’t that so?” Fox-mask once more does not answer, and Tetsurou laughs softly as they step outside, into the cool night. “I’m nothing but flattered, and, I confess, reassured that my admiration is not wholly one-sided. And though you evidently believe I’m a hardened flirt, I promise you once more: you’re the first and only person I - have ever felt this way towards.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask turns to look up at him, the tips of his ears still flushed, but his gaze is clear and steady as he searches Tetsurou’s face. Tetsurou looks back just as steadily, one corner of his mouth tilting up, until Fox-mask nods, a little shyly. “I believe you,” he murmurs.</p>
  <p>Tetsurou draws him a little closer, enough that they are pressed together lightly from shoulder to hip, enough that the sweet jasmine perfume he wears drowns out the scent of the palace flowers on the breeze. “Thank you,” he murmurs back. “Shall we walk?”</p>
  <p>They proceed down the neat avenue leisurely, Fox-mask’s hand warm around Tetsurou’s arm. There’s a chilly nip in the air, but large iron braziers with heaps of glowing coals stand on either side every few feet, and so the cold is not enough to cause discomfort. Away from the bustle of the party, the pressure to maintain a flow of conversation is somehow magically lifted; their words are quieter, spoken less often and with more thought, and a greater part of their time is spent simply strolling in content silence. Tetsurou asks about Fox-mask’s stay in the capital, and they speak of the sights to be seen and the entertainment offered; they speak of the prince, his capabilities and failings, and those of the people who serve him; and they speak of the affairs of the clans that are known to them both. Their conversation might seem tedious to some, entirely unfit for such a romantic night; but, for them, the intimacy is in the speaking, not in what is being spoken of.</p>
  <p>It could not be otherwise, for Fox-mask seems reluctant to reveal his identity, so Tetsurou does not pry, as sorely as he is tempted. The most he learns is that Fox-mask is the oldest of an unspecified number of siblings, that his clan is a strong one, and that he has been training to hold the reins of his family’s fortunes since he was but a teenager. Tetsurou can sympathize with this - though his own efforts stemmed as much from defiance as from duty - and it is as that topic draws to a close that they chance upon a set of ornate wooden benches set underneath flowering trellises, with more warming braziers on either side of each.</p>
  <p>“Shall we remain here for a while?” Tetsurou suggests, and upon Fox-mask giving his assent, holds his hand to assist him as he seats himself; he then pauses in the act of following suit, arrested by the liquid gleam of the moonlight on Fox-mask’s black silk, by the faint tinkle of his earrings in the light breeze, by the grace with which Fox-mask arranges his dress about himself to a nicety.</p>
  <p>Fox-mask looks up at him in enquiry, and for a moment Tetsurou can only look back in mute admiration. No one has ever woven such subtle and unconscious magic upon him with their every word and movement; no one has ever caught his fancy so easily and held it so fast. And he, who prides himself on his ready tongue and quick wit, he is left tongue-tied and helplessly, hopelessly spellbound.</p>
  <p>“Is something the matter?”</p>
  <p>“Ah - nothing, I apologise.” Tetsurou shakes his head sharply, in a vain effort to clear his mind, and his eye is caught by a flowering rosebush close at hand. He plucks a thornless white rose in tentative half-bloom, and, as he sits down, reaches out to tuck it securely behind Fox-mask’s ear.</p>
  <p>“Nothing at all,” he says softly, leaning back to cross his legs and lay an arm along the back of the seat as he faces Fox-mask. “I was only wondering whether such a rose would suit you.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask reaches up to touch the rose with careful fingers. “And does it?” he says, just as softly.</p>
  <p>“Exquisitely, dear fox.”</p>
  <p>Those dark eyes crinkle behind the mask once more. “Flatterer. Are you never at a loss for an answer?”</p>
  <p>“Never,” Tetsurou says, half-smiling, thinking ruefully that only now does he understand why Koutarou had pleaded so insistently for his own flirt to remove his mask. But Tetsurou’s enigmatic charmer has already said he would not do so, and so he doesn’t ask. He chooses, instead, to reach out and take one of the hands lying against the black silk of Fox-mask’s lap.</p>
  <p>Fox-mask allows him to do so, his hand lying relaxed in Tetsurou’s grasp as he raises it to press the back of it to his lips. It’s an old-fashioned gesture, but not yet faded to obscurity, and it could have been passed off as nothing more than a mere courtesy if Tetsurou had not then lifted his hand to cradle against his cheek, and turned to press his mouth to the broad palm with infinite care.</p>
  <p>There’s the faint sound of a swiftly indrawn breath, and the hand trembles in Tetsurou’s grip ever so slightly. Tetsurou glances up through his lashes, still nursing his hand to his cheek, and Fox-mask’s gaze on him is searing. For a moment, they only look at each other; then Fox-mask shifts closer in a motion that’s almost impulsive, his head coming to rest hesitantly against Tetsurou’s shoulder.</p>
  <p>Tetsurou brings his free arm to wrap around him instantly, laying his cheek against Fox-mask’s short, dark hair, and Fox-mask’s soft sigh when Tetsurou’s thumb strokes across his shoulder is content. All is silent as they sit there together, save for an owl hooting in the distance and the rustle of the breeze among the flowers. Fox-mask’s weight against Tetsurou’s chest is the sweetest warmth imaginable, the scent of the rose now mixed with jasmine, and Tetsurou’s present happiness is of a deeper and more tender kind than he’s ever felt before. He’d always brushed aside all fancies of true love - the idea of marriage itself had begun to have unpleasant connotations for him, and he’d somehow grown to believe that after all the trouble he’d caused, remaining in Nekoma with as much power as could be allowed to a second son was in itself a privilege grudgingly granted. To merely remain as he was had been all he’d hoped for. Now, however . . . it’s a silly thing to dream of after a bare couple of hours together, and certainly indicative of a dangerous degree of infatuation, but with Fox-mask held so close and quiet in the circle of his arm like this, he can somewhat begin to see a misty, content future with a husband he truly loves.</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s touch tracing lightly across his knuckles eventually reminds him that their fingers are still tangled together in his lap, and when he happens to look down, he is intrigued; even in the uncertain light, he can perceive faint, unmistakable stains on Fox-mask’s fingertips.</p>
  <p>“Gunpowder?” he murmurs, turning his fingers over slowly to see better. “You shoot?”</p>
  <p>“I do,” Fox-mask replies, easily turning their hands so it is now Tetsurou’s hand that is being inspected. He traces along the calluses on his fingers, careful and curious. “And you fence?”</p>
  <p>“I do.”</p>
  <p>“Which type of sword?”</p>
  <p>“Quite nearly all of them.” Tetsurou smiles at his chuckle, intertwining their fingers once more. “I’ve always wanted to learn to shoot as well, but guns are not yet freely available down south.”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask shifts his head on Tetsurou’s shoulder to look up at him. “If only I could teach you,” he says, a smile clear in his voice. “I would do so gladly.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou, meeting his gaze, is again bereft of words, and this time makes no attempt to recapture them. Every fibre of his body is begging him to kiss the man he’s holding, to shorten the distance between them to nothing; he’s never known such a flood of desire, has never even known it could exist. But no, he cannot, he must not; he cannot break the so-precious trust placed in him -</p>
  <p>The fox mask gleams up at him tauntingly, such a small yet insurmountable barrier. Still the desire burns, the need to touch, to caress, howling at him to <em>move</em>. He cannot resist for a moment longer, try though he might, and he releases Fox-mask’s hand to reach up and slowly trace along the edge of the mask.</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s gaze sharpens in an instant, and he half-raises his head from Tetsurou’s shoulder. “I told you I wouldn’t,” Tetsurou murmurs, before he can say anything. “And I hold to that promise - as much as I wish to see your face. But will you let me move it to the side, just a little? Like so -”</p>
  <p>He takes the chin of the mask with thumb and forefinger, lifting it away carefully and shifting it to the side. The mask now slants across Fox-mask’s face to reveal a tan cheek, a strong jawline, a firm mouth with lips parted ever so slightly. Temptation can no longer possibly be ignored, and Tetsurou bends his head to kiss him, pausing for an instant with the last thread of his self-control to ensure that he is not overstepping; but Fox-mask’s eyes are fluttering shut, his face is tilting up with all the ease in the world, and Tetsurou allows his own eyes to close, dips his head lower, only a centimeter away -</p>
  <p>“Stop,” Fox-mask whispers, his breath fanning across Tetsurou’s lips in cruel mockery of a kiss as his hand comes up to push against Tetsurou’s chest. “Stop, please -”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou moves back immediately, releasing the mask so it falls back into place. “I’m sorry,” he whispers back, searching Fox-mask’s eyes with some anxiety. “Should I not have - I thought you too wanted -”</p>
  <p>“I do, I do, more than I can tell you, but - but I -” His voice trembles, and he makes an aborted gesture with one hand, drawing a little away from Tetsurou’s hold.</p>
  <p>Tetsurou lets him go, trying to understand even as his heart clenches tight. “Did I - do anything wrong?”</p>
  <p>“No! No, you’ve been nothing but kindness, nothing but consideration. It’s -” Fox-mask looks at him, and Tetsurou thinks he sees a brighter gleam than usual in his eyes before he turns away to hold his head in both hands, fingers tight in his hair.</p>
  <p>Tetsurou touches his shoulder gently, his hurt and confusion making way for concern. “If it’s something you cannot tell me, you needn’t push yourself.” A thought occurs to him, an echo of what Fox-mask had been saying when he’d first met him. “Is it that you - that you have a lover waiting for you?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask’s laugh is a wretched thing. “Not quite so bad, no. But there is - someone. And I would leave him for you in a heartbeat if I could, I swear to you, but I cannot, no matter how much I wish to.”</p>
  <p>“Will you tell me why?”</p>
  <p>Fox-mask raises his head, his nod jerky. “I - am heir to a powerful family, and there is a - a betrothal of long standing, meant to strengthen a clan treaty. I have been engaged almost all my life, to someone I have never met. If I’d known you before, perhaps -” He cuts himself off, shakes his head. “No. Nothing could have been done. I am - so very sorry. I should not have -”</p>
  <p>“Don’t say you should not have met me,” Tetsurou says, almost fiercely. “Such alliances are not set in stone - they can be cancelled, altered, and if you’ve never met this person -”</p>
  <p>“It makes no difference.” Fox-mask’s voice is weary now, in a way that hurts Tetsurou to hear. “It is not as though he wishes it either. That we have not yet met is due to his stubbornness in refusing to do so for years on end, declaring that he will not go through with the betrothal. But those who arranged it still insist that we must and shall be married. I have tried to convince them otherwise often and again, but they will not budge. There is nothing I can do, believe me.”</p>
  <p>An odd kind of dread steals over Tetsurou, holding him still with a cold, merciless hand.</p>
  <p>“He - refused to meet?” His voice sounds strange and far away to his own ears. “For how long?”</p>
  <p>“Nearly ten years, now.”</p>
  <p>
  <em>Then this is - no, this can’t be true - he can’t - he can’t truly be -</em>
</p>
  <p>“Please don’t mistake me,” Fox-mask says, breaking the silence with something that’s almost despair. “I hold no affection for him - how could I, when we’ve never met? - and I know you must think it strange that I say I will marry him, but it is a matter of duty. Since he has chosen to behave so, it has fallen to me to mend fences by following through with the marriage. It - it would be a powerful seal on the original treaty, it would cement our power and bind a cunning ally in the south closer to us, and I know, I know these are all mercenary, material reasons, but I owe it to my people, I cannot shirk this responsibility! The wedding is now in less than a year, after we both turn six-and-twenty -”</p>
  <p><em>Oh, god</em>. <em>It’s - it’s truly him.</em></p>
  <p>“- and - and I cannot allow you to think that I could -”</p>
  <p>“That you could be with me? Could you not?” Tetsurou hardly knows what he says; the words seem to come on their own. “Not even in the time until you wed him?”</p>
  <p>“I - he has done me nothing but harm, but I still cannot play him false, and I cannot ask you to - to love me for only ten months.” Fox-mask - <em>Sawamura</em> - reaches for his hand, the movement almost afraid, as though he believes Tetsurou will draw away. “I cannot apologise to you enough.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou, reeling under the shock of realization, considers revealing himself for a split second; for to remain under what are now essentially false pretences now that he knows Sawamura's identity is a dirty trick, and one that leaves a bad taste in his mouth. But this is the worst possible moment for a disclosure of his identity - and even were it not, his priority right now must be to provide what comfort he can to Sawamura, whose evident anguish is enough to make his heart twist in his chest. He takes Sawamura’s hands in his own, holding them tight.</p>
  <p>“It’s not your fault, sweetheart. I could not regret a single moment we spent together, and I understand your situation perfectly. He - he doesn’t deserve the loyalty you show him.”</p>
  <p>“He does not deserve a tenth of it,” Sawamura says bitterly. “Would that I had been betrothed to anyone else in the country - or that he simply did not exist.” His hands tighten against Tetsurou’s. “I might have had you, and I - I might have been happy.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou can say nothing for a full half minute, wildly conflicting emotions catching in his throat, closing it tight. All he can do is reach out to hug Sawamura to his side, tucking his head under his chin as he strokes down his back in a pathetic attempt at comfort.</p>
  <p>Never has his faith in his own actions been so shaken! He still does not doubt the rightness of them, exactly; but if he had known that Sawamura Daichi was the kind of man to show such consideration for an unknown and hated fiance out of nothing more than a sense of duty, that he would make the choice to whistle his own happiness down the wind so swiftly and stand by it with such determination -</p>
  <p><em>Would I have done anything differently?</em> Tetsurou thinks, holding him close. <em>Could I have done so? At the very least, I might have - might have contrived to speak to him, earlier and alone, instead of hiding due to a half-formed hope that he would hate me enough to help me break the betrothal. I might have chosen the more courageous path, rather than the one ruled by my fear of being forced to leave Nekoma.</em></p>
  <p>“I am sorry,” Sawamura murmurs unsteadily against Tetsurou’s neck. “I should not have allowed things to proceed this far, I should have left well enough alone after a single dance. I - I must have taken leave of my senses, but - I’d never before dared to hope for love, and you were quite - quite irresistible. You too were - my first and only.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou’s heart twists once more, more savagely, and he has to press his mouth to Sawamura’s hair so that a hurt sound does not escape his mouth. What to do? What to say?</p>
  <p>“Hush,” he whispers, as soon as he is able. “Don’t apologise, my sweet. It is - it is selfish of me, but I would’ve done it all again even if I’d known how it would end.”</p>
  <p>Sawamura’s arm tightens around his waist. “You are far too good to me. And - I still do not even know your name.”</p>
  <p>“Nor I yours, but if we must part thus and never meet again, then - then remaining unknown would be the wiser course, wouldn’t it?”</p>
  <p>Sawamura raises his face, then, and Tetsurou sees that his dark eyes are wet with tears. “Please,” he whispers. “Even if you lived on the other end of the earth, if I at least knew where you could be found, I could bear even a loveless marriage with a stranger. Please, will you not tell me your name? Where you are from?”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou cannot remain looking at him, holding him, or the raw pleading in his gaze will cause him to spill everything at once, and that would ruin everything in an instant. He gently removes himself from Sawamura’s hold, moving to instead kneel on the ground in front of him.</p>
  <p>“I mustn’t,” he says, clasping Sawamura’s right hand in both of his. “Knowing my name will only make you more unhappy, I promise you - remembering me will make your marriage harder to bear, not easier. I cannot tell you how much I admire your strength, and I couldn’t forgive myself if I made your lot even more difficult.”</p>
  <p>Sawamura turns his head aside, giving no answer. Tetsurou bends his head to brush the back of his hand with his lips, a vague plan beginning to form in his mind as he thinks furiously of how to unravel this tangle. “Forgive me,” he murmurs. “It’s an impertinence, but may I ask a favour of you?”</p>
  <p>Sawamura’s earrings chime softly as he turns to look back at him. “But of course, anything that it is in my power to do.”</p>
  <p>“May I have a token to remember you by?” Tetsurou smiles up at him, tears prickling in his own eyes despite himself. “One that could identify me to you, in the unlikely event that we meet again?”</p>
  <p>Sawamura laughs, a short, broken thing, and he removes his hand from Tetsurou’s hold to slide off a slim ring. It’s pale gold, set all around with glittering black diamonds, and warm from Sawamura’s skin when he drops it into Tetsurou’s palm.</p>
  <p>“Thank you.” Tetsurou tucks it into his breast pocket before bending to kiss Sawamura’s hand once more. “I’m more grateful than I can say.”</p>
  <p>Sawamura’s free hand rises to run through Tetsurou’s hair, light and gentle. “Would that I could give you more,” he murmurs. “It is I who should thank you for this - this single magical evening.”</p>
  <p>Tetsurou raises his head, a denial rising swiftly to his lips - it’s too much that he should be thanked, after all the responsibility he bears in causing Sawamura such pain! - but Sawamura’s fingers trail lower to press gently to his mouth, forestalling his words.</p>
  <p>“Goodbye,” he whispers, and then he is rising to his feet, gone in a rustle of black silk.</p>
  <p>And Tetsurou, left on his knees in the dust with the ghost of Sawamura’s touch still lingering on his lips, finds that his receding figure is slightly blurred by tears.</p>
  <p><em>I must fix this</em>, he thinks, tipping his head up and closing his eyes to the starry sky. <em>And I must do so soon.</em><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p>(dont kill me pls)</p>
  <div></div>
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        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Bloom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p>
    <em> Two days later<br/>
<br/>
</em>
  </p>
  <p>Daichi wakes soon after daybreak, roused by the hum and noise of the already bustling city. He remains lying on his side for some little while, listening to the whinnies of fretful horses on the crowded streets, as he tries to hold on to his receding dream for a moment or two longer. Some few fragments remain; a dark head bent over Daichi’s hand, a honey-smooth voice murmuring sweet nothings in his ear, the silver-and-red mask finally coming off to reveal - he cannot remember the face, but it had been handsome, laughing, and they’d been far away, somewhere they could be together without a care for aught else but each other.</p>
  <p>But the fragments fade soon enough, as dreams must, and Daichi is left alone in the spacious room - as he had been the day previous, and as he had been the few times he woke from restless sleep in the middle of the night. His gaze remains unfocused for a moment or two longer; then he blinks, coming back to himself, and realizes he has been staring at the poor, wilted white rose that is drooping in a glass of water on the writing desk.</p>
  <p>He rolls over to avoid looking at it, a lump growing in his throat, and looks instead at the strips of pale blue sky showing between the slats of the blinds. He should have thrown the rose out yesterday. He should have tried harder to forget that night in the palace gardens - for Ryuu had certainly noticed something amiss, when Daichi had returned two nights past, and Suga and Asahi had not been slow to realize it the next day either. It must have been the first time he had refused to confide in them, and they, his best of friends, had showed not a hint of offence, but ceased to press him and instead kept him close company the whole of the day after, assisting with whatever meetings had been scheduled so he’d had to speak as little as possible. And they’d shown him this kindness even when Asahi had met his own admirer at the ball, discovered it to be none other than the Fukurodani heir, and come back happier than Daichi had seen him in a long while; and when Suga had been all light and laughter even the day after, still exhilarated by the excitement. Daichi had spoiled their moods with his own despondency, had caused them concern even though he had tried so hard not to - and why? Because he must needs be snared by a pair of bright-amber eyes and a lazy smirk? Because a silver-and-red mask and a tall, graceful figure still haunt him relentlessly?</p>
  <p>God, the son of the Sawamura house should have more pride than that. He <em>does</em> have more pride than that. Perhaps it is not merely the loss of his lover, but also the loss of any love at all that leaves the wound so deep, so raw. To have such a chance dangled in front of him, mere months before he must be wedded, and to have it stripped away - nay, to have had to strip it away himself - it is a cruel enough joke, he thinks, that a tear or two is permissible.</p>
  <p>A tear or two is all he allows himself, however, and by the time Ryuu knocks on his door, he is awake and seated upright. The rose has been tossed out of the window to the garden below and the glass emptied of water; if he must cut out that part of his heart, he might as well start now.</p>
  <p>“Come in,” he calls.</p>
  <p>“Morning, Daichi-san.” Ryuu enters bearing a tray with a silver teapot and china cups, smiling in greeting. “Well-rested?”</p>
  <p>“Well enough.”</p>
  <p>“Glad to hear it. Do you have a busy day today?”</p>
  <p>“Not particularly. I meet with Moniwa for lunch before he leaves for Dateko, but it is pleasure, not business.”</p>
  <p>Ryuu nods, setting down the tray to go to Daichi’s wardrobe. “Something not too formal, then. Your pale blue silk, with the white trimming?”</p>
  <p>“Whatever pleases you, Ryuu.” Daichi catches Ryuu’s quick glance at his face, sees how it flicks to the bare desk, and adds, with an attempt at a lighter tone, “I’ve known Kaname any time this past decade, I doubt he will notice how well dressed I am. Besides, your taste is always impeccable.”</p>
  <p>“As you say, my lord,” Ryuu bows, turning to pick out the blue silk, but Daichi is not sure he is convinced.</p>
  <p><em>Well, no matter,</em> he thinks, reaching out to pour the tea. <em>He knows something was amiss either way. He will forget eventually, so long as I give him no further cause for worry.</em></p>
  <p>He takes his time drinking the tea before leaving the bed, heading to the discreet door set in the wall opposite. This hotel, being one of the most expensive ones in the city, happens to have the luxury of a bathroom attached and piped water, and so he is able to shave and bathe with relative quickness while Ryuu lays out his raiment. He emerges refreshed and in a marginally better mood, vowing that if he cannot forget, he can at least push it to the back of his mind, and so he tries to do as Ryuu begins to drape his clothes around him.</p>
  <p>He’s only worn the under-robe, however, when there’s a soft knock at the door. Ryuu goes to answer it, and there’s a murmur of exchanged words, Ryuu’s voice rising for an instant in surprise, before the door is shut.</p>
  <p>“What is it?” Daichi asks, looking between the envelope in Ryuu’s hand and the expression on his face, which is halfway between disbelief and annoyance. “What’s amiss?”</p>
  <p>Ryuu shakes his head mutely, holding out the envelope for Daichi to take when he draws closer. Daichi takes it, mystified, and turns it over to see the name of the sender.</p>
  <p>
    <em>Kuroo Tetsurou, Room 24, The Inarizaki Hotel.</em>
  </p>
  <p>For a moment, Daichi thinks his eyes deceive him. But no, he reads it twice over, and the name remains the same. Kuroo Tetsurou has finally contacted him, and is, apparently, also in the capital.</p>
  <p>A multitude of questions spring to mind - How does he know Daichi is here? By chance, or by enquiry? Why has he chosen to reach out? What will he say, what will he ask? - but they are swamped by a rush of anger. He does this now, when Daichi is so freshly hurt? After ten damn years, and when their wedding is next spring?</p>
  <p>“No one’d blame you if you ere to throw it in the fire, my lord,” Ryuu mutters, tugging the tie tighter around his waist. “The bastard would deserve it. Let him know how it is to be ignored.”</p>
  <p>Daichi cannot help smiling at this, but he says, “I must display better breeding than he, Ryuu. At the very least, I should read it.”</p>
  <p>Ryuu snorts, but makes no answer. Daichi slits the letter open, tossing the envelope aside and scanning the single sheet of paper inside.</p>
  <p>“Well?” Ryuu says, arranging the folds of his hanfu with a little too much force. He would not dream of even glancing at the letter, knowing full well he will hear its contents from Daichi himself.</p>
  <p>“He wishes to meet,” Daichi says slowly, still reading. “Tonight, at six. An apology for the short notice, the inconvenience, and if I wish to reschedule he will accommodate me . . . ‘I am fully aware that you likely want nothing to do with me, but I beg you will come, if only for a bare half an hour, for I believe you will wish to hear what I have to say.’ “</p>
  <p>“Is that all?” Ryuu is indignant. “Not a hint of shame for how he has behaved?”</p>
  <p>“It seems not,” Daichi says, watching his own lip curl with derision in the mirror over Ryuu’s shoulder. So this is the man he must marry, is it?</p>
  <p>“You needn’t go, my lord.”</p>
  <p>“But I should. The worst that might come to pass is that we argue, and part on bad terms, in which case I will have some fair idea of what my marriage will look like; the best is that I hear a half-decent explanation for why Kuroo did what he did.”</p>
  <p>Ryuu clicks his tongue in irritation. “You’re better to him than he deserves, Daichi-san. But if you will go, you will go. If you choose to change when you return from your meeting with Moniwa-san before you depart for Inarizaki, I can have a more formal set of clothes waiting for you.”</p>
  <p>“No, I do not intend for this to be a formal visit, even if he may. I will not extend such a courtesy to him. The blue silk will suffice.”</p>
  <p>“Very well, sir.”</p>
  <p>Ryuu lapses into silence as he continues to dress Daichi, who wonders if, perhaps, his masked admirer has had anything to do with this. He’d been unmistakably southern, and had likely guessed whom Daichi had been referring to. Had he perhaps met with Kuroo? Said or done anything unwise? Daichi had been careful to mention no names, but upon reflecting the next day he realised that anyone moving in circles of nobility might well have been able to guess his own identity, as well as the identity of his betrothed, from the story itself. It had been folly to trust a stranger so, one he’d known for nothing more than a handful of hours - but he cannot bring himself to regret it. The man in the mask had deserved to know why Daichi had done what he had. And if any ill-consequences have come of it - well, Daichi will deal with it to the best of his ability.<br/>
<br/>
Thus six o’clock finds him alighting from a hired coach to enter the Inarizaki Hotel, armed with advice from Suga and encouragement from Asahi. The most magnificent establishment of its kind, owned by the wealthy young lord Kita Shinsuke, it boasts of architecture and decoration both tasteful and expensive, adorned with a multitude of lanterns that throw bright light until the buildings opposite. The door is opened smoothly by two footmen, and Daichi finds himself in a plush lobby, lit by three massive chandeliers. Before he can so much as attempt to locate someone to ask for Kuroo Tetsurou, a slight young man hurries up to him.</p>
  <p>“Sawamura Daichi-san?” he asks, a little anxiously. His face is round, his wide eyes dark grey, and his black hair is parted in the middle. He’s dressed in the southern coat and pants, red and black - Nekoma colours.</p>
  <p>“Yes?”</p>
  <p>“I serve Kuroo Tetsurou, my lord. My name is Shibayama Yuuki. Will you please to come with me?”</p>
  <p>Daichi nods assent, following Shibayama into the hotel and up a broad flight of carpeted stairs. They turn down the corridor to the left, and a few minutes later Daichi is confronting a polished wooden door.</p>
  <p>“The parlour is a private one, sir; you’ll be quite undisturbed in your conversation with Kuroo-san until dinner is served.” Shibayama steps back with a bow, gesturing for Daichi to enter. “If you have any need of me, or if you wish to leave, you need only ring the bell by the door.”</p>
  <p>“Thank you,” Daichi murmurs, nodding dismissal to him as he thinks, <em>If I wish to leave? Has Kuroo then already decided that our conversation will go badly?</em></p>
  <p>The idea is somehow an irritating one, though he’s determined that he will not be anything more than coldly civil to the man. There is no use in speculating now, however, so Daichi takes a breath, lets it out, and enters.</p>
  <p>His first impression is of a quietly elegant room, with walls papered in discreet beige and two windows overlooking the main street. A fire burns merrily in the grate, dispelling February’s chill; a sofa and two armchairs stand around a low table; and a well-dressed man is rising to his feet as the door swings shut.</p>
  <p>For a moment, they only stare at each other. Kuroo seems somewhat arrested, his eyes fixed on Daichi’s face, and Daichi feels as though his feet have been rooted to the ground by a flash of almost joyous shock, tempered immediately by disbelief. That figure - does it not resemble that of his masked paramour? Tall, rather broad-shouldered, legs that are admirably suited to the southern fashion of slim pants and fitted boots, it is all so similar as to be eerie. The hair is swept back from the brow neatly, not in the rather wilder fashion he’d seen two nights ago, but the colour and length are the same. And those eyes, they are now entirely devoid of teasing laughter, but are they not the same shade? The mouth is serious, with not a hint of a roguish smile, but is it not the same shape?</p>
  <p><em>No. No, it cannot be</em>. He gives himself a mental shake, forcing himself to focus. <em>It is your wishful thinking, nothing more.</em></p>
  <p>“Kuroo-san,” he says evenly, walking forward at his leisure. “Good evening.”</p>
  <p>“Good evening,” Kuroo replies, bowing slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sawamura-san.”</p>
  <p>Daichi’s fingers curl till his nails bite into his palms, his composure shaken even further, his heart beginning to almost pound in his throat. That voice, that <em>voice</em>, oh, he cannot possibly be mistaken, he would know it <em>anywhere</em> - and if he is right, as he must be, wild though the idea is, then that means - it means -</p>
  <p>“Is it indeed?” He draws to a halt by one of the armchairs, glaring now, his fists tight at his sides. “Do we meet for the first time, then?”</p>
  <p>Kuroo says nothing for a moment; then he looks away, stepping back to sit down on the sofa.</p>
  <p>“We do not, sir,” he says quietly. “Will you not be seated?”</p>
  <p>Daichi sits in an armchair roughly, his eyes never leaving Kuroo’s face as fury begins to build like a volcano. “<em>Explain</em>,” he almost snarls.</p>
  <p>Kuroo winces ever so slightly. “I meant to have asked Tooru for his advice in speaking to you,” he says. His voice remains quiet and measured, a stark contrast to Daichi’s. “But I supposed you wouldn’t want this spread beyond the two of us, and I - I thought, too, that it might be best to be honest with you, as myself.”</p>
  <p>“Very fine words, sir, but you still have not -”</p>
  <p>Kuroo reaches into his pocket, and the ring he pulls out gleams gold and sparkling black in the warm lamplight. “You met me at the prince’s ball, two nights ago,” he says, reaching out to set it down on the table. “I was the man in the red-and-silver mask.”</p>
  <p>Here, then, is the proof, and Daichi does not know if he is furious, shattered, or overjoyed. It all bursts forth with such hurt and anger as he has never known, in a white-hot shout that can likely be heard on the street below. “You - how <em>dare</em> you sit there at your ease as you say those words? How do you dare confess to it as if it meant nothing? What, was it all then only a charade to mock me? Insult me once again? To laugh as you fooled me, as you made me believe that -”</p>
  <p>“No! No, I didn’t know you were to be at the ball, I swear upon my honour, I - I didn’t know you were already in the capital on your own affairs -”</p>
  <p>“<em>You</em> were the one who was not meant to be there! I made sure to ask Oikawa well beforehand, to make sure there would be no awkward situation if I chose to attend, and he said that you had not responded to your invitation -”</p>
  <p>“God, I responded later than I should have - that was mere carelessness, nothing more! Sawamura, I - will you listen to me? Please, I beg of you. I never meant to do this, I didn’t know who you were until we were sitting in the garden, and I can explain everything if only you’ll give me the chance!”</p>
  <p>Daichi is on the verge of rising to his feet to leave instantly, wanting nothing more than to get away from Kuroo Tetsurou by whatever means possible, for as long as possible. He is both hated fiancé and beloved paramour; he was the cause of Daichi’s building dread as he approached his twenty-sixth birthday, yet the reason for a handful of hours that numbered, briefly, among the happiest of Daichi’s life; he is both the man whose unwavering stubbornness had caused Daichi to fear that an alliance vital to Karasuno’s health might be broken, and the man who had danced with him, laughed with him, who had tucked a rose into his hair and refused to leave his dreams since.</p>
  <p>The grief of it all would be enough to break Daichi’s heart, were he not at present angry enough to keep it at bay. By razing whatever little hope Daichi had clung to to dead ash, by having extinguished that single, dimming spark of joy and revealed it to be the most bitter of lies, Kuroo has been guilty of betrayal of the most unforgivable kind. But Kuroo’s eyes - those amber eyes that had sparkled so merrily as they danced, that had been so soft with affection in moonlight - they meet Daichi’s steadily, begging without words and with such evident remorse that he pauses despite himself, hating his own weakness.</p>
  <p>“Five minutes,” he says, his voice still shaking with outrage. “You have only <em>five</em> minutes to absolve yourself, Kuroo.”</p>
  <p>“God, thank you - thank you, I promise you will not regret it. Sawamura-san, I’d truly had no expectation of meeting you that night. I believed that no one from so far north would attend, given the impromptu nature of the ball; I didn’t know you were already in the capital for business, I swear to you, I <em>swear</em>. Everything I did, everything I said, it was all in truth, all genuine. I didn’t know who you were until you said that your fiancé refused to meet with you for nearly ten years, that you were to be wed once you turned twenty-six, and once you did, I - you must understand, I wouldn’t have kept silent if we’d met anywhere else, in any other situation, but you were -” Kuroo sees Daichi’s stormy expression, and seems to think better of the words he was about to utter. “You were - in pain, and so was I, for my affection was entirely real. I didn’t know what best to do; I only knew that I had to comfort you, reassure you to the best of my meager power, and so that is what I gave priority to. After you left, and after I could collect my thoughts, I - decided that the best course of action was to write to you. I‘d already decided that I had to request a meeting with you before the month was out, so that we could speak before the wedding date, and part of the reason I came to the capital was to ask Tooru’s advice on how to approach you -”</p>
  <p>“Obliging of you,” Daichi snaps. “And why did you deign to do so when you have attempted to do nothing but forget my existence for these many years?”</p>
  <p>“Because I wished to convince you to draw back from the betrothal.” Kuroo’s gaze is nothing but serious, now, unwavering as it meets Daichi’s. “To be entirely frank, I was hoping that you would have conceived a dislike of me, and that it might make you more inclined to be rid of me.”</p>
  <p>Anger flares again, bitter and burning bright. “Then you are to be congratulated,” Daichi growls, “for you certainly succeeded. But as for breaking the betrothal - I would like nothing more than to be entirely rid of you, and if I could have managed it I would have done so years ago. Are you truly fool enough to believe it is possible? It was decided upon before we were born by elders thrice our age, and they will not be turned from their purpose. Believe me, I have tried to do so often and again. If you had met me, we could have at least approached the wedding with dignity, if not with joy, but no, you chose to hide instead -”</p>
  <p>“If I’d not done so, sir, there would have truly been no escape. I had my reasons for acting as I did. But I did not know, until two nights past, the full sum of how my actions had affected you. It was never my intention to hurt you so, and for that, I am more sorry than I can hope to tell you.”</p>
  <p>He bows his head low, his hands clasped so tight in his lap that his knuckles are nearly white. Daichi cannot help but relent, if only very slightly, and a small measure of curiosity is creeping in besides.</p>
  <p>“ . . . What were your reasons, then?”</p>
  <p>Kuroo sighs quietly, some tension seeming to seep out of his frame, and Daichi notices for the first time how weary he seems. “I never truly objected to the betrothal at first, you know. I grew up knowing that we would be married, with some sort of - of faith in my family that you would prove to be, if not an ideal, at least a person I could live with in harmony. When I was nearly sixteen, however, our first meeting was arranged, and when my father spoke to me of it, he said that I would be sent to live with you. He spoke of it as though it was the most natural thing in the world, but I was aghast.<br/>
<br/>
"I don’t remember what I’d believed before then - I suppose I’d never given much thought to our living arrangements, for it all seemed so far away - but I couldn’t believe that I would be leaving Nekoma. Nor could I believe that for me to do so, to leave everything and everyone I have ever known and loved and cared for, was the most obvious thing in the world to everyone else. And so I refused to meet you, I quarrelled with my clan and my family until my throat was sore, I begged and pleaded and never once let them send me to you. They coaxed me, threatened me, tried every stratagem they could think of to trick me, but I refused to budge. If I met you, I knew there would be no return - and I couldn’t conceive of a worse fate.”</p>
  <p>Daichi listens with a growing frown, his anger beginning to abate. He, too, had considered it only natural that Kuroo would come to Karasuno; he had never even considered that it could possibly be otherwise. They needed Nekoma’s connections, yes, but Nekoma needed their power more; their clan had nearly twice the land to govern, and Daichi, as the heir, could not rule if he did not reside there; and so it had seemed only natural. He had never once thought to consider Kuroo’s feelings at having to leave his home.</p>
  <p>“My quarrel was never with you,” Kuroo says, softly, watching him. “And again, I cannot apologise enough for the pain I caused you. But I could not leave my home, for the same reason you could not refuse the marriage against the wishes of your elders. Not out of respect for them, and not even out of responsibility to provide the final seal for a decades-old treaty, but because of your duty to your homeland, to your people. To do anything less than your best for them would be an impossibility. Isn’t that so?”</p>
  <p>“Yes. Yes, I suppose, but - you are only second-born, are you not? I would understand if you stood in your sister’s shoes, and the land descended to you, but -”</p>
  <p>Something flashes in Kuroo’s eyes, hot and sharp, and suddenly his back is straighter, his head raised higher. “I need not inherit the land to love it as my own, Sawamura-san. And I need not rule the people to care for them as my own. Even if I didn’t, I’d by far prefer to manage my sister’s estates for the rest of my life rather than to be settled in the mountains, among people and customs foreign to me, with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and remain as a living ornament for your home.”</p>
  <p>“You would not have been - !”</p>
  <p>“Would I not? Could you have guaranteed it? Can you do so now?”</p>
  <p>A constrained silence falls between them, broken only by the quiet crackle of the fire and the distant rumble of traffic outside. Daichi allows his gaze to fall to the little table, pondering what he has been told. He now sees Kuroo’s decisions for what they are, more clearly than he has ever done before, and begins to be a little ashamed of how hardly he has thought of him until now. If their situations had been reversed, if he had been told that he had to leave Karasuno’s cool forests and soaring mountains to live forever with a stranger in an unknown land, he would have surely felt exactly the same.</p>
  <p><em>Lord Kuroo did not handle it well,</em> he thinks, <em>if he told this proud creature that he was to be sent away like so much cattle. How he must love his home, to have borne so much in order to never be parted from it. </em></p>
  <p>“You are not wrong,” he murmurs at length. “I cannot guarantee it. This, then, is what you intended to speak to me about?”</p>
  <p>“Yes. I intended nothing but honesty. You can’t regret that it happened this way instead more than I do, Sawamura. I know my apologies can never be sufficient, and I don’t expect you to forgive -”</p>
  <p>“Never mind your apologies.” Daichi looks to him once more, frowning slightly as he processes what he’s been told. “What I wish to hear is that which you desire to do now. Are you still of a mind to break the betrothal?”</p>
  <p>He asks only as confirmation, not expecting to hear anything but an affirmative. Yet Kuroo’s cheeks redden somewhat, and he glances away.</p>
  <p>“I - no. Meeting you was, perhaps, the best thing to have happened to me in a long while. As I said, I was nothing but honest that night, and I would not be averse to - to marrying you. Only provided, however, that we reach a compromise about living arrangements. But the day you can promise me that I’ll not be expected to spend the rest of my life in your home, that I’ll still be able to communicate freely with Nekoma and have a hand in managing the affairs of my family, is the day I tell my father that I have changed my mind, and that - that I no longer object.”</p>
  <p>Daichi can only stare, startled into silence. He had forgotten, if only for a moment, that this serious son of Nekoma and his warm-hearted lover are one and the same; he had been occupied in thinking only of what best to do now, how best to set Kuroo free while still protecting the treaty.</p>
  <p>“But if you want nothing to do with me, I understand only too well,” Kuroo says, a shade too quickly, when he delays to reply. “If you would rather not go to the trouble - if, as you said, you would prefer to be rid of me, I’m sure we could somehow contrive to -”</p>
  <p>“No. No, I -” He remembers now, though, remembers how happy he had been with his lover’s - with <em>Kuroo’s</em> hand in his, with Kuroo’s teasing voice in his ear, with Kuroo’s arm around his waist. He remembers a wilted white rose, and how it had seemed to take a piece of his heart with it when he’d thrown it away - and glances down at the table once more, finding himself momentarily unequal to looking at Kuroo. “I thought I’d lost any chance at - at happiness, that night. I - do not choose to let it - to let you - leave me once more.”</p>
  <p>“Then -” Kuroo sounds almost shocked. “You still care for me? You forgive me?”</p>
  <p>Daichi looks back up, smiling for the first time since he entered the room. “How can I not, Kuroo? Your actions may have caused me pain, but if my burden was heavy, yours was doubly so. And that I never considered such an explanation for your actions, that I never thought of what you might have had to bear, is my blame as well. You were not wrong - if you had met me once, the slimmest chance of escaping the betrothal would have vanished. Perhaps we could have still reached an agreement, or perhaps not, but given the circumstances, you could not have been reasonably expected to choose any other path than the one you did. I certainly cannot say that I would not have done the same, had I been in your shoes.<br/>
<br/>
"And, as you said, we both had the same reasons for what we did - you for fleeing from the alliance, and I for being determined to go through with it nevertheless. How, then, can I remain angry with you in good conscience? And as for not revealing yourself to me that night, well . . . you say you did not know, that you could not have possibly told me once you realized, and I find myself inclined to believe you.”</p>
  <p>“Oh, thank god. Oh -” Kuroo slumps back in his chair, pressing a hand over his eyes for a brief moment. “I was sure you would punch me for that, at the very least.”</p>
  <p>Daichi cannot help but laugh at that, all the pent-up emotion of the past few days released in a relieved rush. He puts a hand over his mouth in an effort to stop himself, but fails miserably, his shoulders continuing to shake as he laughs and laughs.</p>
  <p>“Why, what on earth is so funny?” Kuroo asks, half-laughing himself from sympathy.</p>
  <p>“Nothing, nothing, just -” Daichi waves a weak hand between them. “After all this time, after everything we feared, this is how it ends - with the both of us agreeing to be married of our own free will, after a chance meeting and two hours together in a rose garden. Is it not ridiculous? If we’d only known each other without that damn betrothal getting in the way, oh, we could have loved each other for years before this.”</p>
  <p>He had said it without thinking, and he finds, to his delight, that Kuroo blushes once more - but he smiles, too, hesitant and warm. “If only we could have. I hope we can make up for lost time, however.”</p>
  <p>“Oh, so willing to be mine already?” Daichi grins as Kuroo’s cheeks go darker. “We have yet to agree upon the logistics of our living arrangement, remember.”</p>
  <p>“I don’t forget, Sawamura-san. But I trust you.”</p>
  <p>The simplicity of the words does something queer and wonderful to Daichi’s heart, and he nearly reaches out to take Kuroo’s hand. But he restrains himself as another idea occurs to him, and says instead, “I have a condition of my own, however, before I can forgive you quite completely.”</p>
  <p>Kuroo gives him a quizzical look, a hint of concern causing his smile to fade. “Anything it is in my power to do.”</p>
  <p>Daichi props his elbow on the arm of the chair and places his chin in his palm, all the light and happiness that’s filling him up showing bright in his smile. “I believe,” he says, “that you still owe me a kiss from that night.”</p>
  <p>Kuroo looks startled, then elated, the confident charm Daichi remembers so well finally springing back to life in his eyes. “For shame, Sawamura,” he laughs. “Such eagerness is unseemly, I’ll have you know. What on earth will your future husband think?”</p>
  <p>“My future husband will get that punch he was so scared of if he does not -”</p>
  <p>And then Kuroo’s hands are cradling his face, tilting it up gently, and Kuroo’s warm lips are finally, finally upon his.</p>
  <p>A softly broken sound catches in Daichi’s throat, and he reaches out to touch Kuroo without thinking, one hand curling into the fabric of his coat and the other arm wrapping tight around his shoulders as he loses himself to the taste of him, the heat of him. Kuroo breaks the kiss after a long, content minute, drawing back just enough to be able to smile at Daichi as he catches his breath.</p>
  <p>“So you can put that clever mouth of yours to different use just as well, hm?” Daichi murmurs, smiling back.</p>
  <p>“Oh, was it satisfactory, then?” Kuroo looks mischievous, tilting Daichi’s face a little further up. “Shall I give you further proof of my skill?”</p>
  <p>Daichi’s laugh is breathless, and he’s just about to lean in once more when there is a knock at the door.</p>
  <p>“Come in,” Kuroo calls, releasing Daichi and leaning back easily in his seat.</p>
  <p>The young man from before, Shibayama, steps into the room with his head bowed deferentially. “I beg pardon for interrupting, sir, but dinner is ready for you.”</p>
  <p>“Thank you, we’ll come,” Kuroo says, turning to smile at Daichi, offering him his hand. “Shall we?”</p>
  <p>Daichi takes his hand, smiling back. “Lead the way.”</p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p>
    <em> <span class="u">Epilogue</span><br/>
<br/>
</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>January, 1827</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Congregation hall on the grounds of the Silver Temple, Azumane estate, Karasuno</em><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  <p>“And so it is finally over,” Sugawara sighs with no small amount of satisfaction, his arm linked comfortably with Nobuyuki’s. “I thought Kuroo looked very handsome in our wedding dress.”</p>
  <p>“They both did,” Nobuyuki answers, pushing one of the terrace doors open so they can step outside. “It was a lovely ceremony.”</p>
  <p>“Yes, I thought I saw a tear or two in your eye.” Sugawara’s grin is playful, his hair gleaming silver even by faint starlight. “A sentimental one, are you not, Kai-san?”</p>
  <p>“No more than you,” Nobuyuki says easily. “I could hear you sniffling into a handkerchief the entire time.”</p>
  <p>“You cannot blame me! After all those two fools went through, to see them so happy - well, it’s enough to make the most hard-hearted person cry.”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki chuckles, trailing his free hand along the arrangements of white roses decorating the terrace. “True enough. They’ll be good for each other, I think.”</p>
  <p>“Certainly they will be -”</p>
  <p>Sugawara breaks off, seemingly caught by some sight a little way ahead. Nobuyuki follows his gaze curiously to see two silhouettes standing close together; as Nobuyuki and Sugawara continue to approach, they resolve themselves into Tetsurou and Sawamura, not yet changed out of the heavy white-and-gold <a href="https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/802939280388653087/813973070997225482/unknown.png">li fu</a> from the wedding ceremony. Tetsurou is holding Sawamura close by the waist, murmuring something as Sawamura reaches up to wind both arms around his neck. Sawamura replies with a smile, and they kiss even as Nobuyuki and Sugawara watch, slow and gentle, so oblivious to the presence of anyone else as to not hear even when Sugawara doesn’t quite stifle his laugh entirely.</p>
  <p>“They are getting to know each other very well already, are they not?” he murmurs, his voice musical, and he tugs Nobuyuki so they are walking down a corridor that leads away from them. “I believe Karasuno and Nekoma stand in no danger of the treaty weakening.”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki has to bite his tongue hastily so he doesn’t laugh as well, but of course, nothing escapes Sugawara. He presses a little closer to Nobuyuki’s side, looking up at him with an expression entirely too innocent to be believable.</p>
  <p>“Since our dear friends are now married, I suppose we will be working together often to coordinate the governing of both provinces.” He smiles, at once sweet and provoking. “We must try to get to know each other a little better as well, must we not?”</p>
  <p>Nobuyuki cannot possibly swallow the laugh this time as he pats Sugawara’s arm. “Indeed, we cannot fail to do so. I’m entirely at your disposal, Sugawara-san.”</p>
  <p>Sugawara looks startled at that, soft colour painting the curve of his cheekbones, and Nobuyuki laughs again at his expression. Sugawara splutters, blushes darker, threatens to leave Nobuyuki alone if he dares to display such audacity; so Nobuyuki leans down, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. He’s rewarded with sudden silence and a slight hand clutching at his collar to pull him closer, and he goes easily - and if, for the first time in months, he happens to forget the relief of Tetsurou and Sawamura ultimately having worked out their differences to mutual satisfaction, he knows his old friend will not hold it against him just this once.</p>
  <p>Wouldn’t they both, after all, wish their friends to find the same marvellous happiness that they did?<br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p></p><div class="font-serif">
  <p><br/>will anyone believe me if i say the rose was a spur of the moment decision and i never planned on including it in the first place and i didn't know that a white rose apparently means innocence/silence/devotion/young love? no? okay</p>
  <p>thank you so very much for reading! i couldn't help squealing when writing all this drama, and i hope reading it made you squeal too ^.^ any and all feedback is dearly appreciated, especially constructive criticism. I'm on tumblr <a href="https://yaelathewordsmith.tumblr.com/">here</a> and twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/writer_yaela">here</a>, feel free to hit me up for commissions info or just to chat! </p>
</div></blockquote></div></div>
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